The Cursed Tree
by moonsofmars
Summary: There are things Fairies don't talk about, things that are better left forgotten. There is no good in remembering those dark times, and there is no need since none of that can happen again. Until one day, the Fairy King finds something that was supposed to be destroyed millennia before, and what he discovers changes him in a way no one could have expected.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Here it is, my first long fic! This is actually a collaboration with Redworld96 (you can find her on Tumblr, Twitter and Deviantart, she is an amazing artist). We were both fascinated by a certain idea (you will see), but it was just a concept until she started working on it and then came up with a wonderful expedient that inspired me and made me start plotting all of this with her. We basically developed this entire universe together and we are both working on it, she made some beautiful coloring and the cover the fic while I'm working on it. Go check her work!

Also, I have to thank Trig for agreeing to beta read this and for being so enthusiastic about it (dear, you are wonderful)

Enjoy!

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**_Chapter I: This is not a place for the living_**

The grass creaked under her feet as Merlin softly landed on the ground, the black hems of her dress sprawling around her. She just needed a second to regain her balance, and then she was already looking around, her eyes wandering attentively over her surroundings. She was sure this was the right place, even though it was different from what she had imagined finding. The stories she had heard - not that there were much - mentioned a wood, a dark, crooked wood whose only view had the power to make people shiver and turn around to never come back again.

This wasn't wood. It was barely a bunch of scrawny trees emerging casually from the hard ground, bare at the point that their scarce, deep brown leaves couldn't even shade their roots. And yet, it was the right place. She knew that. The magic in the air was almost tangible, and she could easily recognize part of it as Fairy magic; but there was something else under it, something new for her and that she couldn't understand – not like she did with the other kinds of magic. Although that made her feel uncomfortable, she smiled to herself. That was exactly what she was looking for.

She cautiously began to move, attentively examining her surroundings, looking for ... she wasn't sure for what. Something that she could examine and that could give her some information about the magic that once had inhabited this place, hopefully.

Merlin had always been a curious girl. Someone could have said that this was her greatest flaw and curse, and maybe they would have been right, but she had long learned to accept this side of herself. It was what pushed her to study the magic used by the other Clans, to the point that now she could have been able to identify most of their spells in a moment. And the fact that there could have been a form of magic that was unknown to her ... it disturbed her. This was the main reason that had led her there, in that desolate place forgotten by the Gods.

She advanced into the bare thicket, her eyes moving from the trees to the grounds; she hadn't been worried when she had landed, but the more she walked through that desolation, the more she felt that something wasn't quite right.

It wasn't only the contorted trees emerging from the bare ground, looking like skeletal hands frozen in the attempt to reach the sky; it wasn't even the black, arid ground nor the rotten green of the grass and the rare, ill plants. It was more like a feeling, a sense of wrong and sick that permeated the air, making it difficult to breathe.

Most of the people would have already left; well, most of the people wouldn't have even got close to that bleakness in the first place, but Merlin wasn't like them. She had seen worse than a bunch of dying trees – and in a moment in her mind flown the images of the burning hell that Belialuin had become, the streets submerged by the smoke and the fog; after a short time, she remembered, it had become impossible to see the people, only hear their screams.

She shook her head – it wasn't the moment to think about what had happened to her home – and put a hand on her mouth, trying to catch her breath; even though she couldn't understand what kind of magic was affecting her, she wouldn't have let it stop her. And so, she kept walking.

That unsettling feeling didn't disappear, though; it grew stronger at every step, together with a disturbing inquietude that begun to weight on her chest, sharpening her sense as she started to constantly look over her shoulder.

It was silly, she knew that. It hadn't been easy to find accurate information about what had happened there, not even in the Fairy King's Forest – she had soon learned that the Fairies didn't want to talk about that, but all the legends she had heard were clear. Nothing, and more than that, no one, had survived to the Battle of the Fairies; not who had lost it, anyway. There was nothing to worry about.

That thought didn't make her feel better, though, nor made her stop to constantly look around and almost to start at the sounds of her own steps. Maybe it was the silence that was making her feel so exposed, that odd, complete silence that surrounded her, broken not even by the sound of the leaves, the chirping of a bird or the buzz of a bug.

It was a relief that the place was actually small so that she could walk through it in some long, extenuating minutes; nevertheless, she couldn't contain her disappointment by the fact that she had found nothing during her first exploration. Usually, she wouldn't have bothered that much, she was used to long, extensive research before finally meet her object, but the idea of spending more time in that place made her sick. Her head was starting to feel heavy and there was that nauseating feeling at the pit of her stomach that didn't stop to torment her.

Merlin took another deep breath, fighting the urge to throw up; maybe she should have been better to leave that place and return another time, better prepared and with some defense spells to protect her. She would have been able to focus better and to handle that suffocating atmosphere, that way.

She nodded to herself. She wasn't giving up, of course, she wasn't that kind of person, she was just … waiting for a better moment. She didn't want to renounce to that knowledge, she would have found something, even if that meant to return in that desolate land –

"Merlin!"

She started, gasping before turning around and raising her hand, trying to focus enough to summon her magic. How could have she be so distracted not to hear someone approaching her, despite the silence? There was a war, for the Goddesses, she couldn't let herself be taken by surprise like that!

"Merlin, stop! It's me!"

The girl blinked, her hand still raised to cast a spell, as she brought into focus the figure in front of her. Her body immediately relaxed when she recognized Elizabeth's shape, her huge, white wings twitching behind her as she took another step towards her.

"Big Sis! What are you doing here?" Merlin asked, furrowing her brows. She didn't expect to see the Goddess in that place; the last time she had seen her, she was in the Fairy King's Forest, working hard to make the alliance that had taken the name of Stigma work.

Elizabeth only stopped when she was next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, a little, relieved smile curving her lips. "I was looking for you! You know you shouldn't wander around, it can be dangerous."

Merlin pressed her lips together. There was a part of her that was secretly content that her big Sis cared about her; it was good to have someone who actually wanted to take care of her – her father hadn't been exactly the best in this. However, she couldn't help but have her ego a bit bruised.

"I'm not a kid," she stated, crossing her arms against her chest, "I can defend myself. And I've never been in danger. No one comes here, not even Demons."

"Of course, Demons don't come here. They are smart enough not to."

Merlin flinched, her heart jumping into her throat; her eyes rapidly moved to the slim figure that was now standing a little behind Elizabeth. How could she miss the Fairy? She cursed herself, narrowing her eyes as she studied the woman. She didn't recognize the Fairy's long, narrow face, which was bordered by long and disheveled dark brown hair, but she didn't like the way she had addressed to her, nor the cold, annoyed look in her green eyes.

"You shouldn't have come here, child. This place is cursed."

Merlin pursed her lips, trying to draw herself up; she was still feeling sickened but she didn't want them to notice that. "I was just looking around. As far as I know, there is no one who can forbid that. And – and how did you even know that I was there?" She turned toward Elizabeth, who was taking a look around, an expression of discomfort on her face.

"Hum? Oh!" The Goddesses blinked and looked at her. "Well, you were nowhere to be found, and then Gerheade come to me and told me that you had been seen here and so – "

"So we were sent to catch you," the Fairy interrupted Elizabeth. "You should know that there is a guardian to watch this place, child. He didn't attack you because lucky for you, he smelt  
the scent of our Forest on your body. This won't happen again."

"But – why can't I come here?" Merlin clenched her fists, snarling at the woman. "This is not your Realm, you have no authority over this place!"

She didn't take it well, Merlin could see that by the way her eyes widened and her face paled a bit; she took a step towards her, placing her hand on the hilt of the saber hanging at her hip – she wouldn't have dared to attack her, wouldn't she? Merlin was quite sure about that, but she had to force herself not to take a step back.

"Don't you speak like that in front of me or my people," the woman hissed, "you know nothing about what happened here, and you'd better not to meddle into a matter that doesn't concern you. This was – this still is an issue of the Fairy Clan, and no one else's. You won't come back there."

Merlin opened her mouth to answer – in truth, she didn't know what she could have replied, but she wasn't letting the Fairy talk to her like this. She wasn't some petulant child that needed to be scolded.

Elizabeth stopped her before she could say a word. "Sen, please," she murmured, glancing at the Fairy with pleading eyes. Only then Merlin noticed that the Goddesses' skin was paler than usual and the rapid pace of her breath; she was being affected by the magic of that land, exactly like the mage. It had to be something extremely powerful if it had that effect on a Goddesses, Merlin though, but before she could elaborate that consideration Elizabeth's eyes were on her, and even though they were kind and sympathetic as they always were, there was a trace of hardness that wasn't usually directed towards the girl.

"Merlin, there are reasons the Fairy Clan doesn't want people to wander out here. I know that you want to study and analyze everything you can but there are limits." She took a deep breath and stared into Merlin's eyes, squeezing her shoulders. "Please. Promise me that you won't return here."

It wasn't fair. Merlin hated when people thought that they can tell her what she could or couldn't do, and she had never let anyone do that; her father had tried a few times to stop her from reading certain books from his library – she was too young, he had said, and they were too dangerous – but he had soon learned that there was nothing he could do to prevent her from doing what she desired. No one, she thought, could prohibit knowledge; it was something that belonged to those who pursue it and to no one else.

Nonetheless at that moment, under Elizabeth's gaze, Merlin understood that she couldn't discuss this time. It wasn't a favorable situation. The relations with the Demons were becoming increasingly difficult, the delicate balance that still existed wouldn't have last much. Soon, it would be open war, and Stigma was still a young, precarious alliance. There was no need to further inside conflicts.

So Merlin swallowed her anger and nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on Elizabeth's face. "Fine," she snorted, "I don't care. There is nothing to see here, anyway."

"That's obvious," the Fairy – Sen, Elizabeth had called her – shook her head, her lips pressed in a hard line. "We made sure of that. There is nothing left for the living."

This time Merlin managed to control her annoyance, and rather than on the tone of voice, she took a moment to focus on the Fairy's words. We. She has said _we_. Of course, she could have used it to refer to her Clan, but thinking about the words she had used before … It was personal, Merlin realized. And even though it wasn't easy to understand with Fairies, there were details – the lines on her face, the hardness in her eyes – that made her realize that Sen was old. Older than Elizabeth, probably. Maybe …

"You were there," Merlin stated quietly. "You were there when it happened," she continued, ignoring Elizabeth's worried gaze, her eyes fixed on the Fairy.

She stood still, without taking her eyes off Merlin's, her gaze steely and her body just stiffening a little. "I was," she finally said, with a cold, emotionless voice. "Like every other warrior, I took up my sword and fought alongside my King that terrible day." She stopped and for a moment her eyes got lost, probably after memories that only she could see.

"I hope you will never have to do the things I had to," she murmured, before shaking her head. "I will say no more about this issue, daughter of Belialuin; some things are better to be forgotten." Then she glanced at Elizabeth and tilted her head. "We have found the child, as you wanted. Now we have to leave."

"Of course," the Goddesses nodded, squeezing Merlin's shoulder one last time. "We are ready to go."

Sen didn't answer before turning around, and the moment later her feet had left the ground, her iridescent wings shining under the pale light of the sun.

Merlin followed Elizabeth when she took flight behind the Fairy, and it was a shock and a relief when, finally far enough from that ill ground, she was able to really breathe again. She quickly looked over her shoulder one more time, her eyes wandering over the skeletal shape of the trees. Maybe, she thought, she would have been able to return there, one day, to finally unravel the mysteries of that place. After they'd solved the situation with the Demons, and she wouldn't have to worry about the other Clans.

Yes, maybe then she would have come back.

She never did.


	2. Chapter 2: The tree under the earth

**A/N**: This second chapter is settled after the events of the manga, a couple of years after the Demon King had been defeated for good and everything somehow worked out. The story has finally begun!

I'd like to thank Redworld96, who is helping a lot with this story and also made a wonderful a wonderful cover and some other lovely colorings (go check her work on tumbler, twitter or deviantart, everything she does is amazing). Also, thanks to Trig who give me some very good advices.

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**_Chapter II: The tree under the earth_**

There was something that made King feel proud to see the flourishing greenery of the Forest. While flying, he could only catch a glimpse of the bright green leaves and the colorful flowers, the deep brown and the drab of the trunks and the vines, but he knew his domain. And besides, he could feel it with his power, the incessant growing and decline of nature under him. He didn't notice anything wrong, there, but he was still far from the border - the place where he was headed.

Even though it hadn't been easy for the Fairy King's Forest to properly grow again even since it had been burned to the ground, it seemed that now, the war ended and the Demons defeated, it was really starting to extend its confines. King had been worried at first since the power of the Fountain of Youth had extinguished, but it hadn't been necessary. The Forest seemed to be alright, and he used his power the best he could to help its growth, grateful that it had been extremely easier to utilize Disaster after his wings had sprouted.

No, the main problem wasn't the lack of the Fountain, it was to direct the spread. Even though Ban had chosen well the place where to plant the last seed of the Forest, there were a few human villages in the surroundings, and more than once King had had to stop the plants from getting to close and destroying them.

The Southern border had never been a problem. There was nothing there, not a village nor a single house. King didn't know why, exactly; maybe it simply wasn't a fertile land for humans, and when he had flown over the place for the first time, a couple of months ago, he had seen nothing strange. Well, it was bare and empty, with little or no vegetation, but this hadn't worried him. The Forest had shown to be able to grow even in the more difficult terrains, and there was nothing to suggest that this would have been different.

And yet, a bit less than a week before, one of his Fairies had come to see him and told him that there was something strange in the way the plants were growing on the border. Few sprouts and new plants had emerged from the ground, but they didn't seem to be able to grow in the right way. And besides, the Fairy had said, the ground was different, there, dusty and dry, too compact to make easy for the plants to thrive. The expression on her face when she had talked about it made it clear that she didn't like what she had seen.

King had already decided that he would have checked the place when another Fairy had told him pretty much the same a couple of days after and added that he was worried about the way the roots of the trees had started retiring and the growth of the Forest had abruptly stopped.

King had told them both that he would have taken care of it, and the look of relief and trust on their faces had made him smile, a warm feeling of happiness swelling within his chest. There had been a time when he had thought that his people would have never trusted him like this again. He hadn't always been a good king, but now he was working hard to be the person that Diane and the Captain had seen in him, the person his people needed.

It didn't take long to get in view of the border, but even before he could see the land beyond, King could feel that there was something wrong, there. He stopped for a second, floating in midair, observing the trees that formed the edge of the Forest. They weren't supposed to be like that. The looked healthy and stood straight, their branches towards the sky, but the way they stopped at some point, forming a straight, long line that delimited the rest of the wood, was unnatural. The Fairy King's Forest had always been more than a simple bunch of trees, its growth and life coming from the magic of the Fairy Clan; King liked to think that those plants were more vital than the others in Britannia, almost living creatures as the animals who inhabited them. But they couldn't just decide to stop growing like that ... unless there was something blocking them.

He pursed his lips, glancing at the scarce vegetation beyond the border. The ground was barren, looking almost black under the morning sunlight, just an irregular layer of grass barely covering it; the few plants that stuck out from it were old, scrawny trees that seemed to barely stand up, and then … King furrowed his brows. Apparently, something had tried to grow on that terrain, but it hadn't worked. He saw the brownish leaves of a fern plant, dry and narrow, and a pair of sprouts that didn't look well. A tiny, leafless sapling was almost lying, the wood black and gaunt, its roots sinking into the ground only a few feet from the border.

And besides, there was that feeling. It hit King abruptly when he started coming down, a suffocating malaise that became even stronger when his feet touched the ground, right after the edge of the Forest. He took a deep breath and focused on the dark land. Whatever that sensation was, it was obviously coming from there.

He had never felt something like that before, not even while walking through the burned remaining of the old Fairy King's Forest, the ground black and smelling like fire and death, the knowledge that the desolation that surrounded him was his fault, only his, delving within his own soul.

It would have not been necessary to see the effect that it had on the plants to feel that there was something wrong. And King didn't have the faintest idea of what it was.

He tilted his head and studied the bare landscape, but there was nothing strange in it, not that he could see; just some few trees, and nothing else. And yet, he realized, there was magic there. At first, it felt like Fairy magic, but it wasn't that, not really; for a moment, he thought it could have been Demon's magic – after all, they had just fought a war, it was possible that some Demons had been responsible for whatever this was – but he rapidly dismissed the idea. What had happened there, it wasn't the Demon Clan, he would have been able to recognize that sort of energy.

King sighed, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't thrilled at the idea of going forward into that desolate land, especially not knowing what kind of magic was behind it – years spent with Merlin taught him being cautious with spells he didn't know – but there was much else he could do. Whatever it was, it could have hurt his Forest, and he had to put a stop to this, or at least understand what was causing it and see if he could solve it alone.

So he caught his breath and started floating towards the wasteland, leaving the reassuring shadows of the plants behind him. Flying through those trees didn't help though, it just made him feel even more uneasy; he hadn't felt like this for a long time, since the war had ended, and the fact that this place alone was able to trigger that kind of feeling inside him was somehow worrying. He nervously glanced at the dark ground, but even though it looked too black and dry, there was nothing too strange in it. And yet, he couldn't help but think that there was something else hiding under the drab grass and the soil. It was foolish, he couldn't have known that. He wasn't a Giant, and he had no power over that land.

He looked up, narrowing his eyes against the sun; he could actually see the end of that blackness, a few miles away, where some distant trees with green leaves rose. The ground just stopped being so – so wrong, just like that?

He stopped and landed softly, the dry grass creaking unpleasantly under his feet. For a moment, he just stood, not knowing exactly what to do; he could see nothing around him that could have helped him to figure out what was happening there.

And then, he felt it. His eyes widened as he looked around. Nothing had changed, the trees and the land were still the same, except for the call. It wasn't exactly a sound that he could hear, not really; it was more like perceiving it all around him, a wordless whisper reaching for his mind. It was the way he sensed the animals and the plants of the Forest, a language made of feelings, senses, and emotions. Even though he had already experienced that, he had never felt something similar. It was a desperate urgency, a silent scream made of suffering and pain. It made his heart beating faster, a feeling of oppression on his chest - it was wrongness and fear and ache.

For a moment, he was lost on those emotions, too surprised to react, then he blinked and put a hand on his mouth, trying not to let it take over him. It had never been like this with the other beings that tried to communicate with him. This was different, this was … this was a call of help, he realized, a desperate call of help. And even though it was overwhelming and almost painful to bear, he couldn't leave it unanswered. It would have been cruel, and he wouldn't have left a living being to suffer and die if he could do something.

King took a step, and then another, carefully inspecting his surroundings to see if he could find whatever was suffering so much. It wasn't one of those trees, he was sure about that, but there was nothing else there. Not that he could see.

He followed the call, then, his slow steps producing a creaky sound that echoed around him, but he ignored it, too focused on his task, advancing more and more in the skeletal ticket. After taking another step he stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed on the ground. If he hadn't looked so closely, if he hadn't followed that feeling, he would have missed the crack. The call was from there, there was no doubt about it.

He bent down, moving a hand on his chin; the crack was large maybe a bit more than one foot and long two, the edges irregular and sharpened, and even narrowing his eyes, he could see nothing of what it was hidden under it.

King put his hand on the ground, tapping his fingertips on it. There was no way to him to pass through that crack like this, nor to see what was inside. He could have widened it, but would have that been the smartest move? He didn't know what he would have found down there, and that was still that unsettling feeling, that strange magic in the air, that made him uncomfortable. Maybe he should have come back to the Forest, to Diane – maybe she had already finished her tasks and she would have greeted him with one of the joyful smiles she always made when she saw him – and ask Gerheade if she had ever heard of something like that. Then, the cry of help sharpened, almost pulling him into the darkness. He gasped and shook his head to take his mind out of it, but the feeling didn't stop hunting him. It didn't matter that it felt wrong and anguishing, he couldn't ignore that suffering. And besides, he would have probably been able to deal it anyway. He was the Fairy King, after all.

He took a deep breath, preparing to summon his magic; it would have been easier and faster to simply destroy the ground, but since he had no idea what was under it he couldn't risk damaging that land even more. He slowly expanded the crack, removing small ground plots; it was deeper than he thought, at least five feet, then it widened abruptly in what looked like a cavern. That wasn't particularly captivating, but he had already decided he wouldn't have come back without at least taking a look. It would have been ridiculous.

When he let himself slide into the dark, the cold air of the cave hit his skin and made him shiver; the place smelled like musty and rotten, and something else that he couldn't quite point out but made him wrinkle his nose. He snorted and waved his hand to made Chastiefol turn into its Seventh Form, the white light of Luminosity immediately filling the room. For a second, it was almost too intense for him to see, and he had to blink a couple of times to recover his sight. The cave was bigger than he imagined - he had to increase the light of his weapon to clearly see the floor, and the walls were distant enough to hold more than a house. But this wasn't what drew his attention.

He saw it the moment he grew used to the light – it would have been impossible, not to see it. His eyes went round as they wandered over the immense shape of the tree, its long, twisted branches flattening against the walls and the irregular ceiling like dark snakes and surrounding him like a birdcage. King had seen enough of the human world to know that this tree was too tall, even though it was still not like the ones of the Fairy King's Forest; it was astonishing that it had grown like that, under the earth, receiving the sunlight just from that small crack.

But he just needed a look to see that whatever had made the tree flourish that way, it wasn't working anymore. The trunk was too thin, crooked and looking almost as it was about to break, the wood too dry, and the scarce leaves were withered, of a claret color that he had never seen, not even in the deep of the Fairy Realm. And more than that, he immediately knew, as soon as he landed his eyes on it, that the tree was the source of the cry for help that had led him there. Now that he was so close, the anguish that irradiated from it was almost suffocating.

King took another moment to breathe and brace himself, then he flew towards the ground, Chastiefol following right behind him, its light gradually showing the rest of the cave. It seemed like that tree was the only thing alive in there, its large roots sinking into the earth and occupying all the floor of the cave. King furrowed his brows, glancing at the walls. This wasn't quite right. If the tree had grown so much and was still alive, there had to be a source of water, somewhere; the lack of other forms of lives, plants but also – he suddenly realized – animals and bugs, was strange.

When he landed, he immediately started to examine the ground; it was different from the one above, deep brown and softer, and when he reached for it, it was cool and damp under his hand. It didn't seem to be the problem, unless there was something in it that poisoned the water.

King looked up at the tree, his eyes meeting its dark, rough trunk and then raising up to the branches. He should have been used to plants of this size, but he couldn't cast away a feeling of discomfort. It wasn't only the desperation that emanated from it, there was … something different, in that wood. Something that made a warning ring in his head, but he couldn't understand why.

Usually, the trees of his Forest were easy to read. They didn't need much, more space of more water, and it wasn't difficult to understand what he could do to make them grow better. It didn't work like that with this one. The feeling that came from it was just a chaos of pain and fear, strong and enveloping, but hard to read.

He clenched his fist, his eyes fixed on the wood of the trunk. Maybe if he touched it … it would have allowed him to connect more deeply to it. He slowly took a step forward, the call of the tree almost unbearable but mesmerizing at the same time.

When he reached out for it, something in his mind almost screamed at him to stop, but after a moment of hesitation, he finally put his hand on the wood – he _had_ to. It was coarse and cold under his fingertips, and for a moment he felt nothing at all; it was like he was touching stone. He had only the time to blink, realizing that the call had finally ceased, before he felt something burning his palm. His breath stopped as he felt it climbing his arm like a shock and then reaching its shoulder and –

_They are coming and they are killing, the screams of Its children, their blood on Its peel. The fire burns – it shouldn't hurt but it does – everything it's in flames and It's dying, It knows It's dying – fear and pain and - it's not right it's not right It shouldn't be dying, It won't let them win, It won't let it –_

King gasped for air and removed his hand, the skin still warm and itchy where it had touched the wood, and took a step back. He stared at the tree with wide eyes for a moment, breathing heavily, his head still feeling fuzzy and confused.

What was that? He tried to remember the confusing images that had flown through his mind, but they were vanishing, fast as they had come – there had been the light and the heat of the fires and those figures all around him but he couldn't remember who they were or what they were doing. The only thing he could still feel was the anguishing emotion that had overwhelmed him, the dread that oppressed his heart - and the pain.

When he looked at his hand, it seemed fine, not even a scratch on his palm, and when he closed his fist, his fingers moved without any problem. It didn't hurt. Yet, he couldn't help but feeling that, when he touched the wood, something had spread inside him, creeping into his body and soul. The idea made him nauseate, but at the same time, it was impossible for him to really identify what was wrong.

He glanced at the tree again, but it was silent now, almost too silent. It was like it was dead - or, King couldn't help but think, waiting motionless for something, the Gods knew what. It didn't seem dangerous, but he wouldn't have touched it anymore. No, it would have been madness. But he would have understood what had happened there, that was for sure.

He took flight, headed for the crack, his eyes never leaving the tree. It didn't move, of course, but he couldn't bring himself to relax until he was finally out, the sudden sunlight warm on his skin and almost too intense for his eyes; he dismissed Chastiefol before taking a look around. His eyebrows rose when he realized that the light was too intense, much more than before. The sun was high in the sky, informing him that it had to be past noon. How long had he been in that cave? He looked one more time at the darkness under the ground, a cold feeling gripping his heart. That place was too strange to be left unguarded. The idea that some other people could have approached the tree made him feel sick.

He couldn't close the crack since he didn't have power on the earth, but there had to be a way to hide it ... His eyes stopped on an ill-looking sapling not too distant. Life had almost vanished from it, he could feel that – not that it was surprising, knowing what hid under the land. He still didn't like that he would have to take advantage of the last dregs of its vital energy, but it had to be done.

It took only a glimmer of his magic to turn part of the wood on a soft material, dark as the ground, that he deposited on the crack. It wouldn't have worked if someone had looked too closely, but there was no reason to think that this would have happened. That place hadn't probably seen a living soul for a long time before King. Still, he couldn't cast away a sense of anxiety.

He examined the result one last time, then turn away and rose from the ground, flying towards the Forest. He started feeling a bit better when he finally reached the border, the sight of the tall, flourishing trees comforting him. Yet he couldn't help but look back once again, the desolate land more and more distant behind him. He couldn't see the crack anymore, but the knowledge that it was there, and of what there was under it, tormented him.

He would have talked to Gerheade as soon as he would have landed, and if she hadn't known anything about that strange tree, he would have figured out that mystery by himself. He wouldn't have walked away from it.

* * *

Diane sat on the ground, her back against the trunk of a tree; her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the sunlight that passed through the branches that covered the Fairy King's Forest like a canopy. She could hear the Fairies flying around her, occupied with their own tasks, quietly talking to each other. No one approached her, letting her rest and wait. It was strange to remember that just a few years ago, her presence there had raised questions and concerns, as there had been no Giant between those trees for millennia. But it wasn't like this anymore. They changed it.

It had not been easy to merge the two Clans, at first, not after all the years they had passed isolated, without ever interact with each other. Yet, there was a time when the two people had been allies and shared the same home, thanks in part to the friendship that linked their kings. And now, it seemed that it was like this once again – and could have gotten even better.

She had to deal sometimes with the temper and the customs of the Giants – it hadn't been easy to make them see that live like mercenaries wasn't necessary anymore and that it was only weakening them – and there were still some Fairies that looked at the other Clan with suspicion, but things were getting better. She and Harlequin were doing their best to make things work.

Think about her husband made her lips curve into a smile as she opened her eyes, blinking against the midday sunlight. She sat more comfortable, lazily looking around, but of course, had had not returned yet. She would have felt him if he had.

That morning, when they had separated, he had told her that he wanted to check something at the border, and he hadn't come back since then. She wasn't worried, not really, Harlequin was more than able to take care of himself, and besides, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. The Demon Clan was not a problem, nor were its abomination, and the two years that had passed since the defeat of the Demon King had been the most peaceful that Britannia had seen in a long time.

Still, she couldn't help but fidget, brushing her hair back and tapping the earth with a hand, while wondering why he was taking so long. He only had to get something checked up, it was supposed to be something fast. She let out a sigh. It was silly, she knew that, but even though she had seen him that very morning, she missed him.

Then, abruptly, she felt him, or, rather, she felt his power. Diane raised her head, her gaze towards the sky, a smile spreading across her face as she finally saw him flying through the branches, his wings shining under the light. For a moment, his eyes didn't meet hers, lost in his thoughts, his expression pensive and – she realized with surprise – even a bit worried. But the second he finally looked at her, everything changed, concern turning into joy as he beamed at her, making her heart racing.

"Diane," he said softly once he was near enough, then come closer to press a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, then, when they parted, she raised her hand, so that he could land on her palm. His own hand immediately started caressing the skin of her thumb, making her giggle.

"It took you long enough," she said, looking at him with affection. "I was waiting for you."

"Ah, sorry for that," he answered, a slight blush creeping over his neck. "I didn't realize that it had been so long." He stopped, his eyes unfocused, as he was trying to find the words to say something else, but it was only a moment, then he was looking at her again, curious. "How did it go? Did your messengers returned?"

Diane groaned, holding him a bit closer. "Just some of them, finding all the Southern tribes is being a nightmare! And of course, most of the ones who answered are not interested in changing their way of life ..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I will probably have to go there by myself."

King nodded, squeezing her thumb. "You don't have to do this alone. I will come with you if you want me to."

"And leaving the Forest? I wouldn't ask you that."

"The Forest is safe," he replied, a determined look in his eyes. "If something happens, I can protect it from afar. And besides," he shrugged, "it could be useful. There could be some group of Fairies living in the South as well, no one went to check on there for a very long time."

Diane felt her cheeks flushing and smiled at him, caressing his hair with a finger. "Thank you," she murmured, "I would like that. But we can deal with these matters at another time. Now, tell me, how did it go on the border? There is something wrong?"

And suddenly, that blank look was in his eyes again. For a second, it was like he didn't know what she was talking about, then he blinked and nodded. "I think there is something off with the land, there," he answered slowly, "but I'm not sure what it is. There is nothing to worry about, though, I can take care of it."

"Oh," she tilted her head, looking at him attentively. When he had returned, he had looked worried, way more than now, like there was something upsetting him. But she knew he wouldn't have lied to her. He had promised that, and she trusted him. "Everything is fine, then?"

"Yes," he smiled at her, after a moment of silence, his wings lightly flapping against her palm, "everything is fine."

This second chapter is settled after the events of the manga, a couple of years after the Demon King had been defeated for good and everything somehow worked out. The story has finally begun!

I'd like to thank Redworld96, who is helping a lot with this story and also made a wonderful a wonderful cover and some other lovely colorings (go check her work on tumbler, twitter or deviantart, everything she does is amazing). Also, thanks to Trig who give me some very good advices.

Also, thanks to everyone who read, commented and left kudos, it was really appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3: They are not to be trusted

**A/N: **This chapter took longer than I thought, but finally, here it is! I want to thank Redworld96, she made the cover of the chapter in no time and did an awesome job, and she is also an incredible source of information and ideas. And also thank Trig, who beta read this.  
Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter III: They are not to be trusted**

King stared at the missives scattered in front of him, elbows on his knees and head resting on his joined hands. The branch of the tree he had chosen was large enough to him to sit cross-legged, and the morning sun passing through the leaves was pleasant on his skin. It was a relaxing place, and he had thought it would have been suited to make his job a bit simpler. It wasn't working.

He knew what he should have done – read the letters again, start to think about an answer and then talk with Diane about them, so that they could decide what to do. A sigh escaped his lips when he thought about his wife; she should have stayed with him that morning, but then a Giant had come to call her, asking for her help – something about the manipulating of the metals, if he had got it right, and she simply had to go. She had promised to join him soon, and he really hoped she would have since apparently he really couldn't get himself to focus on his task.

He rubbed his temples with a huff, closing his eyes. It was madness. It seemed like he couldn't focus on the words he was reading, his mind constantly losing the thread, filling with thoughts that didn't make sense – and that he shouldn't have had. It was a bit late for a change of mind, after he and Diane had discussed for so long about how to act.

At first, it had been Margaret's idea. After less than a years as the new queen of Liones, that she had spent rebuilding her kingdom and fixing some issues that still dated back to the period when her country was in the hands of a Demon, she had decided that the last thing her people needed was another war. She had started strengthening Liones' alliances with the neighbouring kingdoms and to forging new ones, to gather information about the faraway realms, considering what kind of relationship she could have built with them and if it would have been favourable for her land.

She had explained that herself to King and Diane, a few months before, when they had visited Liones during a festival she had organized to celebrate the end of the rebuilding of the city – and that Meliodas had decided would have been the best occasion ever for a reunion to remember the "good old days". Margaret was convinced that this would have been the best option to avoid future conflicts, and King couldn't really contradict her. Keeping the other kingdoms as allies was surely the right way to deal with them – he was pretty sure that the reason there had not been many wars between humans in the last few years, at least in that part of Britannia, had been the well-built system of relationship Liones had had with many of the nearest realms.

Apparently, Arthur was determined to do the same, as soon as the new kingdom of Camelot had been strong enough – Merlin had suggested him to wait so that he could introduce himself as the powerful king of a rising realm and not of a weak territory tried by the war. When they've talked with her about it, she had said that she wasn't too confident that it would have worked – not for long, at least – but it was worth a shot.

It had been natural that, after, both he and Diane had wanted to discuss the option to, well, to do something similar. It had been centuries since the Fairy Realm had formed new alliances with humans kingdoms, and the Giants had never really done that, and maybe, after such a long time of isolation, it would have been the right occasion to open to the world and improve their relationship with the humans. Or, at least, to make clear that the Fairy and the Giant Clan didn't intend to be a menace for anyone – unless for their enemies. At the end, they had decided to try, and for a few months by now they had sent some messengers to other Kingdoms – they had quickly agreed that the best choice was to send Fairies, who could fly and disguise themselves if necessary, and besides, Giants still had a certain reputation among humans that surely wouldn't have helped.

The results, until then, weren't bad. Of course, some kingdoms were more open than others, and there was still some wariness towards them. There were realms that had never seen a Fairy, and humans that still considered the Giants as strong fighting machines to hire in case of need. But the largest part of the sovereigns they had contacted had seemed open at the prospect of a friendly relationship.

So, why was it suddenly so difficult to remember the reasons they were doing it? King shook his head. It was useless at best. Their Clans together – they were enough. They didn't need other allies. They didn't need others, they were only exposing themselves –

He let out a groan and rubbed his temples. What was he thinking? Of course, it was the best option to correspond with other sovereigns! Having a good relationship with them could have been helpful – and besides, he didn't want the Fairy Clan to isolate itself again, as it had done for so many centuries after his disappearance. No good had resulted from it.

It had to be the tiredness, it was the only logical explanation. He had started to perceive it for at least a week by now, an annoying sense of mental exhaustion that made him feel like his head was too heavy and his thoughts too vague. Luckily it hadn't been a problem, he had been able to use his magic as usual – except for the sensation of heaviness that hit him immediately after, but he had managed to handle it without much effort. It was getting draining though.

King forced himself to take one of the letters in his hands, but his eyes simply slid over the words without reading not even one. He pressed his lips together, shaking his head, and lowered the letter again sighing in frustration. Why couldn't he focus on that simple task? And – and why should have he bothered with that? It would have been useless, no matter what that human kingdom was offering and promising. He must not trust them, he thought, none of them. Humans were not to be trusted.

_They hunt us and cut our flesh with iron and steel_.

King blinked and abruptly straightening his head, raising his eyebrows. He had no idea where those thoughts had come from, nor why he should have had them – as it seemed to happen way too often in the last few days. He breathed in slowly to calm himself and closed his eyes, trying to understand how something like that had come to his mind. He knew humans. He had spent years between them, as a soldier, a companion, a friend. They could be trusted. He knew they could, like he knew that it had been centuries since the last time a human had hunted and killed a Fairy – _Helbram's face is covered in blood when the knight lifts him up, the screams of the other Fairies fill the air and when he finally arrives, their bodies lay on the ground, their eyes glassy and their wings ripped from their backs_ –

He gasped for air, his eyes snapping open. It had been a long time since those memories had hit him so strongly and painfully, almost overwhelming him for a moment. He could clearly see the bodies of his friends, smell the metallic scent of the blood that still tickled from their back and feel the horror and the rage that had filled him when he had realized that he was too late to save them, that he had failed protecting them.

But that, he thought, swallowing, still trying to breathe, that had been only a few humans' fault. They weren't all like that. Ban, Escanor, the Holy Knights that had fought with him during the war … they weren't like that. He was sure about it. He inhaled, then let out a long sigh, passing a hand on his face. He was just tired, that was all. It had to be all. He just needed a moment to compose himself, and then, he will have been fine.

"Your Highness?"

He flinched and abruptly raised his head, glancing at Gerheade, who was floating a few feet from him, her head tilted as she looked at him with furrowed brows. King hadn't heard her approaching him – he hadn't felt her, not even her presence or the soft whisper of her thoughts. This hadn't happened often since he had unlocked his true power – it shouldn't have happened. He should have been more careful.

"Gerheade," he said as he turned to face her, sliding a hand over his face to chase off the tiredness. He frowned; there was something he wanted to ask her, now that he thought about it – but at that moment, it seemed impossible to remember what. He hardly held another sigh – what was with his mind recently? But probably, if he couldn't recall it, it wasn't that important. He would have asked her later. "What's the matter? Do you need me?"

She took a moment to answer, her lips pressed together and her face paler than usual. When he tried to meet her eyes, she slightly lowered them, her purple iris overshadowed by concern and agitation – but about what? Finally, she straightened her spine, clasping her hands behind her back and breathed in. "One of the other messengers returned," she said. "Aed, do you remember?"

King nodded, the round, almost childlike face of the Fairy coming into his mind; he remembered him clearly, a young Fairy – he wasn't even five centuries old – who offered to leave the Forest for the first time in his life to travel to one of the little Kingdoms in the West Coast. He had left not even a four day ago, and it should have been a good thing that he had already returned. Gerheade expression suggested the contrary, though. "What happened?"

"It didn't go well, your Highness," his counselor whispered, finally raising her head to look at him in the eyes. "He has been attacked."

His hand let the letters fall on the wood and in less than a moment he was floating in front of Gerheade, his heart pounding – not again, _not again_. "Where is he?"

* * *

Gerheade led him towards the ground and through the trees without another word. It didn't take long to reach a small group of Fairies, which was swarming around a tree base. At first, their bodies and wings hid from King the sight of the messenger, but as often happened, they soon noticed his presence. He nodded to them when they parted, their chatter ending, and exchanged a look with Ende, who was floating right under the tree. Her eyes shined with worry as she hanged her head before her gaze returned to the Fairy who was sitting on a root a few steps from her. When King's eyes finally landed on Aed, a cold chill ran through his spine.

He had seen worse. He had seen the scattered bodies of his friends after their wings were ripped away from them. He had seen the devastation that the Demons left behind them during the war, the fury of the Induras, the shattered remains of villages and cities. This wasn't even bad. But they weren't in a war anymore.

And so, while his eyes wandered over the thin legs of the Fairy, red for the blood that kept spilling from the long wounds – even though a healer was kneeling next to him, washing and treating them – and white, white for the bones emerging from the flesh, King felt cold. And more of that, he felt rage building in his chest when his gaze discovered new bleeding cuts on the Fairy's arms, the unusual pallor of his face and the lost, horrified look in his eyes.

Aed didn't see him apparently, his gaze pointed to the ground, and he didn't raise his head when King got closer to him, until he was right in front of him. Now he could distinguish the blood stains from the copper of his thin hair and the spatters that had reached his wings, that were stiff behind him. At least, he still had them.

King's feet touched the ground. He wanted to speak, but the words were blocked in his throat; he had to breathe, holding off the rage – why it was being so difficult? – before he could finally call the Fairy's name.

Aed slowly raised his head and met his eyes. His gaze remained unfocused for a moment, then he seemed to finally realize what was happening. He gulped, and immediately tried to stand, ignoring the cry of surprise of the healer. His legs didn't support him, though, and he fell back down again, a choked whine escaping his lips. He gasped for air, then he finally breathed out, "Fairy king," joining his hands in front of him and lowering his gaze.

"Aed," King repeated, quietly. He would have wanted him to raise his head again, but the Fairy was sitting rigidly on the root now, not moving an inch. King pursed his lips, then waved to the healer, who immediately raised and took a step back. Another wave, and the green light of Pollen Garden surrounded Aed's body. The young Fairy jumped, but his low yell of surprise soon transformed in a sigh of relief when the bleeding stopped and new flesh formed, closing his wounds.

It was quick, the power of his magic perfectly able to heal the injured body of his messenger. And yet, when he dismissed Chastiefol, King had to stop a second, his breath short. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. This shouldn't have tired him, he didn't use even a drop of his magic, but that damn weariness made everything more difficult.

When he opened his eyes, Aed was looking at him, hands still clasped. "My king," he said, hurrying, "I – thank you, Fairy king, but I – I apologize, I failed." He breathed in and moved his lips, but he didn't produce any sounds, and at the end, he simply shook his head. "I failed," he repeated, his voice reduced to a whisper.

King exhaled, the muffled sound of his pounding heart in his ears. "You did nothing wrong," he asserted, "what happened?"

Aed took a moment to answer. When he did, his voice was no more than a whisper, small and tentative, as he still had to find the words to explain what had reduced him like that. "They had never seen a Fairy," he begun, wringing his hands and lowering his gaze to the ground. "I knew it was possible, so I disguised as a human – I did it right, I'm sure about it. But when I said I had a message for their king and they had started asking questions, I just – I didn't – ", he gulped, and bit his lip, taking a moment before keeping talking. "I didn't want to lie. They didn't believe me, when I told them I was a Fairy, and so I thought … but when they saw my magic – and my wings, they got scared. And I wasn't fast enough."

He fell silent and remained still for a moment, before abruptly looking at King again, his eyes wide and full of fear and shame. "I didn't consign the letter, it – I think it went lost somewhere when I escaped. I disappointed you trust, my king, I'm sorry, but I can't – I can't return there."

The way his voice trembled while he spoke the last words was like a stinging pain in King's chest. Obviously, he wouldn't have sent Aed back there – who would have? He had been so foolish when he had decided to send those messengers, mindlessly hoping that things like this wouldn't have happened. They were talking about humans, after all, the same who had attacked the Forest for centuries chasing the eternal life, no matter what the price would have been. He had passed too much time with the best of them, at the point that he seemed to have forgotten how cruel they could be. How had it occurred to him to send his own people, his Fairies, to deal with those fearful, selfish beings – how it had come to his mind that his kingdom should have benefited from that? Humans only saw themselves, only cared about themselves, they –

"Harlequin!"

The feeling of Gerheade's hand on his shoulder made him flinch – how she had been able to take him by surprise like that once again? He glanced at her, raising a brow, and he was surprised to see the worry in her eyes; when he rapidly looked around, he realized that all the Fairies were silently staring at him, their eyes round and big, their concern almost tangible in the air. And when finally his eyes returned to Aed, the young man was still, spine stiff and shoulder tense, his face even paler than before and his pupils dilated, almost painting of black the dark brown of his eyes.

King furrowed his brows, trying to understand what had happened, and before realising what he was doing he released his power; immediately the Forest was full of whispers and emotions, all the thoughts and the feelings of its inhabitant now allowed to reach his mind. He ignored the others, though, and focused on Aed – why he looked so upset and scared, he was safe now, far from the ones who had hurt him.

The realization hit him like a punch. Aed wasn't afraid of humans – well, he was, deeply, but not in that moment. He was afraid of his king. His scattered thoughts were all about the way he had disappointed him, and about how he was about to be punished for that. His king was looking at him with so much rage and coldness and they all knew how powerful he was and –

King closed his mind again, a nauseous feeling blocking his throat. He hadn't realized his silence had been so long, nor that he had looked at Aed like that – and the Fairy had of course perceived his fury. He just didn't understand. The Fairy King took a deep breath and forced his body to relax – he hadn't realized he had clenched his fists so tight that the nails had dug cuts in his skin until he finally released his fingers. Then, he kneeled in front of the Fairy, so that their faces were at the same level. Aed's brows rose and he let out a sound of surprise, his arms shileding his chest.

"Aed, you did nothing wrong," King began, trying to make him understand that he meant it. "It wasn't your fault if they attacked you. You just did what you thought was right. The responsibility of what happened rests with me, I didn't instruct you enough. I apologize for that."

Aed stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth opened in surprise. "But Fairy king, you shouldn't – it was stupid from me to transform in front of them, I didn't think – "

"You didn't know," King interrupted him, shaking his head. "You expected them to be like our allies, you couldn't know they would have reacted like that. I should have. I'm sorry."

The other Fairy gasped, his cheeks flushing red, then he finally seemed to relax and let out a breath. "You did nothing wrong, my king," he muttered, looking away, but King could almost feel his relief. "I will be more careful the next time."

"There won't be a next time." King raised and placed his hand on Aed's shoulder, squeezing it softly; he wanted so badly to make him understand that he meant it, that he didn't blame him for whatever had happened – and above all that he would have never asked him to go back out there. "You will stay here and recover for as long as you need to. Actually," his gaze moved to the other Fairies, who were still gathering around them, "we will wait for the other messengers to return, but no one will leave anymore for the humans' lands until I say otherwise. Tell the others."

It was a relief to see that they didn't look scared anymore but mostly reassured, even though King could see still a shade of uneasiness in their curious gazes. He wished he hadn't lost control like that in front of them – the idea that they could have been afraid of him made him unease, like having a burden on his chest. It shouldn't have happened. And yet, the rage had been sudden and crushing as never before, he could still feel it coursing through his veins. It wasn't normal for him, he had to understand what had happened to him.

He gazed to Aed and squeezed his shoulder one last time, the young Fairy shyly smiling back, then nodded to the others. Some of them bowed their heads again, but Ende gave him a concerned look, as she knew that there was something wrong. He shrugged, trying to reassure her and make her understand that he was fine – he just needed some time to think.

He turned to meet Gerheade's eyes, and leaned towards her to murmur, "We will talk later."

She nodded, but when he finally spread his wings and took flight he could sense her burning gaze on his back. It was obvious that she was worried too, her disquietude had been almost tangible.

King sighed, rapidly getting away from her and the rest of the group, the fresh air caressing his face and giving him some comfort. Later, he should have reassured her that he was fine, really, he was just tired – it had to be that. But later. Now, he needed a moment to collect his thoughts. He needed Diane.

* * *

It had been a long time since Diane had seen him so distraught. Harlequin kept flying in circles in front of her, furiously flapping his wings and apparently unable to keep his hands still – they were everywhere, through his hair, on his suit, or simply waving in the air. He didn't seem able to properly look at her, either, but the few times she had managed to meet his wide-open eyes, she had felt a twist in her stomach – they were sad and shocked and guilty. She didn't want him to look – to feel like that.

He had appeared in front of her only a few minutes ago, suddenly emerging from the trees next to her; she had been so happy to see him, after all she was looking for him – her duties fulfilled and finally free to join him – but the moment her eyes had laid on his pale features, she had known that something was wrong. She had realised it was something serious when he had nearly pleaded her to follow him in a more private spot between the trunks – as if asking wouldn't have been enough, even before he finally let go and told her what had happened, his voice low and almost brittle.

"I shouldn't have let him go," he murmured again; it wasn't the first time that he said it using different words, but he seemed unable to stop repeating the same concept, as if saying it out loud would have changed the past. "He is too young, he hadn't been taught to act cautiously with them like I was. I shouldn't have sent him out there."

"Harlequin," Diane whispered softly reaching for him with her hand, but he escaped her grip and turned his back to her, shaking his head.

"What kind of king I am, if I can't protect them? If I am the one who sent them to die?" His low and broken voice made her heart ache, and this time, she moved faster. She reached for him with both her hands and wrapped his shoulders with her fingers, and even though she felt his back stiffening, she didn't let him go, gently tracing the line of his arms. All she wanted was him to feel her, to understand that it didn't matter what had happened, she was by his side, as always.

"Harlequin," she repeated softly, "it wasn't your fault. Aed wanted to go, and you couldn't have known that – "

"I should have," he said.

There was anger in his voice, but Diane was aware that it wasn't addressed to anyone except himself – and those humans who had attached his legate, but that rage, she knew, would have soon turned in mistrust and caution. The only thing left would have been the hate for himself, for not having prevented something he could have done nothing to stop. She knew him. And she was determined not to make him fall into that spiral of self-blame and regret.

"You know you couldn't," she affirmed, "until now, no one had never reacted like that, and there was no reason to think someone would have. What you – what we are doing is incredible, we are building a future no one would have ever imagined and we are doing our best. What happened there, it wasn't your fault, it was an accident! There was nothing we could do to foresee it."

He didn't answer, but he didn't move away. Finally, his hand reached for her thumb, caressing it slowly, tracing the paths of its ridges. When he finally turned towards her, his eyes were empty and sad as he whispered, "He could have died, and I would have been the one to cause that."

"No," she moved him closer, stroking his hair and his cheeks, "he knew there could have been risks, and he took them not because you ordered him to do it but because he wanted to. You are his king, and I know you feel responsible for him, but you can't protect your people from the danger they chose to face – not always."

He was again silent, his eyes blank and fixed on something between her chin and her shoulder, his hand still on her skin. She bit her lip, worried that she had not convinced him – he could be so stubborn! But then he let out a sigh and finally his shoulders relaxed under her touch. "I know," he said, "but I still wish I could protect them."

Diane couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He still wasn't fine, she would have to stay close to him, but at least he seemed to have understood. "Of course you do, because you care. Because you are a good king."

His eyes softened and finally, the corner of his mouth turned up in a little smile. "I want to be," he murmured, before placing a kiss upon her fingertip. "Diane … thank you. To be with me, by my side, no matter what." He added, looking at her with that loving gaze that he had always had for her, even when she had been too blind to notice.

Diane felt her skin warming and beamed at him, affectionately stroking the tips of his wings – she held back a giggle when he half-closed his eyes, enjoying her touch. "You know that I'll always be with you. And don't forget it that you are not doing this alone. Whatever mistake you think you made – we made it together, and we will fix it together."

He sighed and nodded, but he didn't seem totally convinced. Before she could say something else, though, he straightened his spine, his expression suddenly serious. "About that, Diane … do you think we are doing the right thing?"

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"With the other realms," he answered, slowly, crossing his arms across his chest. "Sending our messengers to them, without even knowing how they could react to – to us. Aed was lucky, but what if the next one wasn't?"

Diane nodded. Of course, he didn't want to risk again the life of their people, and she didn't want as well. "You are right, we will have to be more careful. Maybe it would be a good idea to slow down for a while and recall all the ones who are still outside. We could ask Margaret to intercede for us with the kingdoms we didn't reach – last time we saw her, she wasn't having any problems."

"That's because they are all humans," King snorted, shaking his head. "They are part of the same kind, they recognise each other. But they will always see us like others, they will never completely trust us."

That took her by surprise. They had talked about that subject, more than once, and never Harlequin had spoken like that. They both knew that sometimes humans could have been scared by their Clans or aggressive towards them – years of fear and grudge couldn't be erased just like that, from either of the two parties. Yet, there had been hope, from both of them – they had agreed to do that, for the Goddesses! "That's exactly the reason we have to do that," she said, "to show them that they can trust us, that they don't have to be afraid."

"But why? We don't need them, and even if they'll trust us, we could never trust them back!" He ran a hand through his hair; his eyes weren't on her anymore, but fixed on something distant, something that only he could see. "Humans – they are not trustworthy."

"That's – that's not true!" Putting a hand on the ground, she leaned toward him, trying to meet his gaze – she wanted him to look at her in the eyes. He couldn't possibly be serious, not after all they had passed. "We know humans, most of our friends are! They fought with us and helped us and saved us. We can trust them!"

"It's not the same thing! They … they are different." His eyes closed, his head shaking again. "I know they are different," he repeated, and this time it was almost like he was talking to himself, his voice low and hesitant as he couldn't fully believe in what he was saying, as much as he wanted to. Then his eyes snapped open again and they were on her, but again, she wasn't sure he was actually seeing her - his blank gaze seemed to pass through her. "Humans are not all like them, you know that – you know that more than many others. They killed my people and your people and they will never stop!"

"Harlequin!" She shot, coming even closer to him so that she could face him properly – he was still floating in mid-air, his body stiffen and his arms crossed once again. He had never been able to make her angry, not easily at least; it had happened, of course it had, they were together for more than two years by now, they already had fights. But this was the first time she couldn't even understand his reasons – why he was so suddenly saying those things when she knew that his opinion about humans had changed since the first time she had met him. At that time, he had been wary – "You shouldn't trust humans too much," he had told her once – but then, he had seen them, he had understood that they weren't all like the ones who had attacked his Forest for centuries – like the ones who had killed his friends. He knew that.

"How … how can you say something like that?" The words came out shattered, her voice almost cracking – she was getting furious but more than that, she was confused, and the need to understand why he was acting like that was stronger and more pressing than the will to properly yell at him.

"Because they – " Harlequin paused, his hands still for a moment and his gaze fixed on the ground. "I …", he blinked, shaking his head, and his eyes widened as he looked up at her. Every trace of rage was disappeared from his eyes, replaced by astonishment and worry. "You are right," he slowly said, "I can't say that … I didn't mean …" His hand rapidly covered his mouth and he looked away, his brows furrowed. "What was I thinking?"

"What – " Diane stared at him, raising her eyebrows. The change in his behaviour had been so sudden, that for a second she didn't know what to say, her wide eyes fixed on him.

Then, he took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and they were finally clear – he was finally seeing her. "I'm sorry," he whispered in a soft, sincere voice, "I'm sorry for what I said, I don't think that – you know I don't." He fell silent, pressing his lips in a hard line. "I don't know what came over me."

Her rage faded like snow melting under the sun, replaced by a tightness in her chest, worry occluding her throat. She bit her lip as she studied his face, finally noticing for real the paleness of his face and the dark circles under his eyes – there was something wrong, she realised, it was the only explanation. "Harlequin, are you all right?" She cautiously reached for him again with her hands, wrapping his figure with her fingers.

"I … yes," he answered and barely nodded, his body relaxing in her grip " it's just – I'm tired. And I think that seeing Aed like that shocked me more than I've thought." He heaved a sigh before murmuring, "I only wish I could have kept him from all this pain."

He was telling the truth – the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, everything told her that he was being honest – and yet, Diane wasn't convinced that it was just that. What he had said – could it be only because of his tiredness? It didn't seem right. But there wasn't another explanation, so she breathed out and pulled him towards her, holding him gently. "You should rest," she said, "you really look tired."

"Later," he asserted, shaking his head. "Now we should think about those missives that had arrived – I, hum, haven't been working very hard on them," he added, nervously running a hand through his hair.

Her eyes narrowed as she lifted him to look good at his face. "If you are so tired, you shouldn't force yourself like that, I can work on that while – "

"I can take it," he interrupted her, "I want to help you with that!" His determined eyes softened as he smiled, tilting his head. "We are doing this together, you said so."

Diane couldn't help but smile back, feeling some of the tension that had built inside her until that moment finally leaving her. "Okay, then, let's do this together. But later, you will rest, it's that clear?"

"Of course," he nodded, finally a spark of amusing in his eyes, "I promise."


	4. Chapter 4: Do not touch the Tree

**A/N: **Here it is! I'm sorry that it took so long, I had a few things to take care of and besides this chapter is very long by my standards. I hope this waiting will be worthwhile.

As always, I want to thank Redworld96, who made such a beautiful fanart for this chapter and helped me quite a bit with her suggestions and ideas; I suggest you to go check her on Tumblr, Twitter or Deviantart to see all the wonderful art she is making for this story. And thanks to Trig, who beat read this and helped me fix some things, in addition to making me smile and laugh with her lovely comments.

Enjoy!

**Chapter IV: Do not touch the Tree **

King's eyes snapped open and he rose, his mouth gasping for air as he frantically looked around. For some terrifying moments, the darkness around him was like a cage, his laboured breathing the only sound reaching his ears, and the only thought he could discern in the storm that was his mind was that he was in danger – _he was about to die _. The urge to spread his wings and fly away – it didn't even matter where – was so overpowering that he almost lifted and left. Then, when he moved, something soft and warm brushed against his arm making him jump, and when he turned abruptly sleepy violet eyes met his gaze. Diane. When her name came to his mind he was finally able to breathe again, almost shaking, relief traversing his body like a jolt and driving out the tension that had tightened it until that moment. He was in his bed, in his Forest, with Diane. He was safe. _He was safe _. He closed his eyes, the air reaching his lungs feeling almost like a blessing, and he was about to let himself fall on the mattress again when a gentle touch reached for his cheek.

Diane had lifted her body to come closer to him, her hair loose and messy on her shoulders. She seemed a bit more awake than before as she looked at him with tight, concerned eyes, caressing his skin with her thumb. "Another one?" She simply asked, and when he nodded, his throat feeling too sore to let him speak, she sighed, her other hand reaching for his neck so that she could pull him closer, holding him and taking him with her when she laid down. It took a moment for him to follow her movements and hold her back, his own hands reaching for her back, digging in her smooth skin – he wanted, no, he _needed _to feel that he was really there, with her, that he was safe. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply her flowery smell, and relaxed in her embrace.

He didn't know how long they laid like that, his arms around her chest and her hands caressing his hair and back, slowly tracing lazy paths on his skin. He just knew that when Diane spoke again, his heartbeat had slowed down, now a calm and regular thud in his ears, almost a hypnotic and relaxing sound. "Harlequin," she said softly, her warm breath tickling his ear, "do you remember this time?"

Of course, he didn't. Those nightmares – or what he supposed were nightmares – had been visited him for almost two weeks by now, waking him up in the middle of the night, sweat coating his skin and his body almost froze by terror – or, a few times, mind blinded by rage, needy to react, to fight back and to kill. Yet, he could remember nothing of what he had dreamt. Only shadows; people running and flying around him; fire, sometimes, dancing around him, its tongues moving closer and closer to the place he stood up until they brushed him and burn. It didn't matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember more, nor understand where those fragmented images came from. They weren't from his past, he was sure about it; but then, why were they in his mind?

He let out a sigh of frustration and raised his head to look at Diane, their faces so close that their noses almost touched. "Nothing, as usual."

She nodded, not at all surprised by now – she was getting used to that answer, he thought bitterly. He couldn't help but feel his heart aching noticing the tired look in her eyes. Her skin was warm under his fingertips when he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, "I'm sorry I woke you up. Again," he whispered.

Despite the tiredness, a smile formed on her lips, as she leaned against him, touching his forehead with her own. "Don't be silly, you are not doing it on purpose," she whispered. "Besides, I don't want you to face this alone. You would do the same for me."

He nodded, mind still clouded by exhaustion and fear, but extremely grateful to have her by his side, to be loved by her. Once, he wouldn't even have hoped that they could have been like this. Sinking his fingers in her hair, he bent down and finally met her lips, smiling against her when he felt her hands pushing him closer, a satisfied hum coming from her throat. She breathed in before moving away, her fingers still laced behind his neck; her eyes studied his face for a second before she bit her bottom lip. "Have you thought about what I told you? About asking Merlin?"

Right. She had proposed it a few nights before – he hadn't slept well for a week by then, and they had both started worrying. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time one of them asked for Merlin's help with something like that. Nightmares weren't uncommon for them and the rest of the Sins, not even before the war.

"I did, it's just …" His fingers fidgeted and started to play with a lock of her hair, "I don't like the idea of getting to use Merlin's magic, it's too strong. What if something happens and I can't wake up?"

"Nothing will happen, not for a few days while we solve this problem," she grinned, raising her hand to caress his cheek, "and remember that I will be with you, I can protect us both."

"I know," a smile formed on his lips, "but anyway, before resorting to magic, I could ask Gerheade. She used that herbal tea when I was younger, to help her to sleep. Maybe it could help."

It wasn't the first time he had thought about that solution in the past couple of days, but talk with his counselor had been … difficult, in the last week. Every time he saw her, he felt like he had to speak to her – the urgency to do that was so sudden that he immediately opened his mouth ready to say something, and then closed it, not knowing exactly why. It was getting frustrating and worrying, but it was probably just the lack of sleep. Besides, he didn't want to make her worry. His stomach clenched every time he thought about the concern shining in her purple eye when she saw him, back since the time he had almost lost his temper with Aed. No, he didn't want to worry her. She didn't deserve it. Yet, asking her for something helping him to sleep … maybe he could have explained his situation, and she would have understood that she didn't have to worry too much.

"I will do that," he murmured, looking into Diane's eyes, "and if it doesn't work, I will ask Merlin."

"Good," Diane smiled at him, before placing one last kiss on his lips, "now, try to sleep with me, okay?"

He nodded his head and buried his face in her hair, encircling her with his arms to hold her closer. "I will try."

* * *

A few hours later King's eyes were open again, fixed on the wooden ceiling, his hand absently playing with Diane's hair and listening to the slow sound of her breath. He wasn't sure what had woken him up this time. Maybe another nightmare – but again, he could remember nothing. He snorted, pursing his lips. Whatever it was about, at least it hadn't been as bad as the one before, and he had managed not to wake Diane again. He glanced at her, a wave of relief and affection filling his chest at the sight of her relaxed features, her head on his chest and mouth slightly open. She needed to sleep. And so did he, he thought with a low groan, closing his eyes again, the by now familiar pressure in his temple seeming to become even harder to bear. But he couldn't relax. His mind seemed unable to rest, the thoughts constantly wriggling in his head in a confusing mass of which he couldn't understand anything. He let out a sigh before opening his eyes again; it seemed like for that night he wouldn't have been able to sleep more. He pressed a quick, light kiss on Diane's forehead – her eyes squinted as she inhaled deeply, but she didn't wake up – then he cautiously disentangled himself from her grip, his fingers lingering for a moment on her skin before he got out of bed.

A few minutes later he was outside, the morning cool air caressing his skin as he slowly flew through the trees, the dim light of the dawn illuminating enough for him to see clearly his surroundings. Apparently, no one else was awake – no Fairies or Giants, at least, since he could hear the far calls and the muffled sounds of the animals of the Forest. It never slept, not completely. Finally, his body started to relax and his mind to clear, not feeling anymore like the hornets' nest it had been a few minutes before. Still, he felt exhausted, as he had in the last few days. He crossed his arms across chest and while tracing circles and spirals as he flew, trying to understand what was happening to him. Nightmares wouldn't have been strange, they sometimes visited him during the night, but they had been different before – sporadic, and of course, he could remember about them when he woke up. Those shattered dreams, that feeling of constant tiredness … that wasn't normal. If he had been human, he would have suspected to be sick, but Fairies didn't get sick. Yet, there had to be something …

Half-closed eyes, he let himself slowly floating in the air, not minding where he was going – it wasn't important. When had it started? He remembered having nightmares for more than a week, but even before he had struggle sleeping, something that wasn't normal for him. It wasn't bad at first, but it had worsened fast, and he couldn't think of a single reason it would have had. Nothing had happened in those days that could have led to it, not that he had noticed, and before –

His eyes snapped open as he stopped abruptly, face turned towards the canopy of leaves. The tree. Before it all started, there had been the tree. He straightened himself out and ran a hand through his hair, his brows furrowed – how did he forget about the tree? But … he didn't forget. He had always known about it, in the back of his mind. Yet, it was weird that he hadn't thought about it at all, and he hadn't even spoken to Gerheade about it, although he knew he should have had. It had been like the memories of what he had seen had been hiding in his mind, right there but barely out of reach. There was no way to be sure about it right now, but it was possible – likely – that the tree had something to do with what was happening to him. There was nothing else that could have affected him, and the weird, disturbing magic he had felt in that place ... how could he not see it until now? King shook his head, jaw clenching. He had to speak with Gerheade about it, and if she knew nothing, maybe Merlin would have – but he couldn't let it slide anymore.

While he was flying the sun had risen enough to fill the undergrowth with lights and shadows and the sound of the Forest had changed, now consisting in the buzz of the bugs and the yells of the diurnal animals. King looked around, willing to understand where exactly he had ended up, and his brows raised in surprise when he noticed that he was farther from home than he had thought at first, somewhere in the Southern part of the Forest. It wasn't the first time in the last few days that he hadn't been aware of the passing of time – another thing that was starting to worry him. At least, it was late enough to go looking for Gerheade. His advisor had never slept much, she was probably already awake. He pursed his lips when his thought went to Diane – maybe she had awoken and now she was looking for him, and he didn't want to make her worry – but most likely, she was still asleep. She hadn't slept much in the last couple of night, he thought, a cold feeling of guilt in his chest. He would have checked on her later, after having talked with Gerheade. He breathed out and rapidly stared flying toward the center of the Forest. He knew he would have found her here.

It wasn't necessary to look for Ghereade, she was the one who found him. This time he felt her presence coming closer while flying through the trees, and so he stopped at mid-air, head turned toward his right to see her emerging from the branches, the sunlight shining on her hair and only earring.

She reached for him and bowed her head, greeting him with a low "Your Highness," before studying him from under her hat with her piercing, purple eye. "I didn't expect to find you already awake."

He ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. "I couldn't sleep," he cut it short – he wanted to ask her if she knew something that could have helped him, but before, there had to discuss something more important.

"Gerheade," he started, and then, mouth opened to speak, he stopped. The words felt like trapped in his throat, and when he pursed his lips with irritation before trying to talk again he realized that it was because he didn't really know what to say. There had been something he wanted to tell her not even a few minutes ago, he was so sure about it, and yet, nothing came into his mind when he desperately attempted to remember what it was about.

"Your Highness?" Gerheade tilted her head and raised a brow, uncertain in front of his struggle.

King shook his head in frustration – why he had felt that urgency to talk to her? It was something important, something she could have known, something … "How's Aed?" He finally blurted out, but as soon as the words left his mouth he knew it wasn't what he had wanted to ask her. Yet, he could do nothing about it, nothing but waiting for whatever it was to come into his mind. And besides, he had wanted to ask news from Aed, as he hadn't seen him since he had returned from his trip. "Do you know how he is doing?"

Gerheade blinked, then her expression softened. "I've seen him yesterday, your Highness. He was fine, his wounds healed perfectly, thanks to you. The physical ones, at least," she sighed, clasping her hands, a shade of melancholy in her gaze. His counselor fell silent for a second, before whispering, "I think it won't be easy for him to deal with humans for a while. It wasn't, for me."

King nodded, pressing his lips in a hard line. Even after he had found out what had happened to Gerheade, they had rarely talked about it – there wasn't much to say anymore. It wasn't his fault, of course, but he couldn't help but feel like something was crushing his heart when thinking how all that could have been avoided. However, there was nothing he could do to change what had happened to her; he could do something for Aed, though. "I won't ask him to," he said, "he will remain in the Forest as long as he needs, and I won't allow any human to approach him – and the others. He can have all the time he needs."

"You won't allow any human here?" Her brows drew together. "No one? What about our allies?"

"I – ", he exited, for a moment not knowing exactly how to answer, then he exhaled, joining his hands behind his back. "Of course, our allies will be allowed here. It's just – I don't want anyone to be scared by them, I want them to feel safe."

Gerheade nodded slowly, but the lines on her forehead didn't disappear, nor did the shadow of concern in her eye. "Are you feeling well, your Highness? You are acting a bit … well, differently."

Letting out a sigh, King gave her a nod. He should have expected a question like that from her, after all the worried looks she had given to him. "I am, Gerheade, you don't have to worry for me. I'm just a bit tired, I'm having trouble sleeping – about that, do you know some remedy that could help me?"

"Something to help you sleeping?" Her eye narrowed as she put a hand under her chin, before making an affirmative sign with her head. "I can prepare something for you, it should help."

"Good. Thank you, Gerheade," he managed to make her a little smile, finally feeling like the burden on his shoulder was a bit more light. "I know I've been acting, hum, weird, but it's just exhaustion. It will go better."

Her mouth twitched and finally, she smiled back at him, seeming a bit more relaxed. "I hope you will, your Highness, I will make you something as soon as I can." She didn't move away, then, but kept looking at him, as if waiting for him to say something else.

He raised a brow, his mind running to Diane – maybe now she was awake, the light was bright enough to disrupt her sleep. He tilted his head, looking at her curiously, "There is something else?"

That seemed to surprise her. She widened her eye, then she pursed her lips, furrowing her brow, that look of apprehension and – what was that? Unease? – back in her gaze. "You – didn't you notice anything strange, Your Highness?"

"Strange?" He frowned, trying – really trying – to remember if there had been something different in the last days, but the only thing that came into his mind where his dreams, and why should she refer to them? "What do you mean?"

"Don't … don't you feel it?" Her voice came out low, not quite sure, as she was the first being surprised by what she was saying.

"What?"

"The Sacred Tree!" She blurted out, "it's been a couple of days by now – It doesn't feel right. Something is happening to It. Yesterday Merik told me that some of Its leaves are rotting, and you know that this shouldn't be happening – it had never happened!" She stopped a moment, catching her breath, her gaze feeling almost accusatory when it met his one. "You have a bond with the Sacred Tree, your Highness – you really didn't perceive anything at all?"

He stared at her, motionless, for a couple of seconds, eyes wide, before his hands twitched and his fingers started to fidget nervously as he felt a flush creeping over his cheeks. Nothing. He had sensed nothing, not even a hint of discomfort – and it shouldn't have happened. The Sacred Tree wasn't only what had chosen him to become the king, it had been the Tree that had given him life, and he had always been able to feel It, even better than all the other trees of the Forest. If something had happened to It – how could have he not felt it? And something so serious that apparently had damaged – damaged! – It …

What was happening to him?

"I – ", he swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't – I don't know, Gerheade, I didn't feel – I can't feel anything." Not even now, trying to focus on his bond with the Tree. It had always been like there was a string linking him to It. It was easy to feel it, deep in his mind, and it was here, he was sure – but it had never been so difficult to feel it.

His counselor kept staring at him incredulously, lips pressed in a hard line until they parted as she whispered, low, "Nothing?"

"It has to be the tiredness," he murmured, his voice coming out almost like a defensive whining, but he knew it couldn't be the truth, not entirely – he had been tired before, and it had never affected his connection to the Forest. "I will check it immediately, I promise. If I can't feel anything wrong, it's probably not so dangerous," he added. It wasn't clear if he was trying to convince more her or himself.

Silence fell over them as Gerheade studied him, arms by her side, her features pale. Finally, she inhaled deeply, her pupil flared and once again, a mix of concern and what looked almost like fear covering her face. "Are you sure you are fine?"

"I swear," he hurried to reassure her, "please, don't worry about me, I will be better as soon as I will sleep a bit more. I will immediately go to see what's happening to the Sacred Tree and I will take care of it. "

"Alright," she agreed after a couple of seconds, but her shoulders were still tensed and her skin pale, "I will prepare you that tea to sleep, but if there is something else … you can tell me, Your Highness."

"I know Gerheade," he sighed, "I know. But there is nothing else." Not that he knew, at least. "I will just inform Diane, then I will go to the Fairy Realm to check the Tree. I will take care of this." His wings shifted and he nodded at her, then turned and flew away, towards home. He didn't need to look back to know that she was staring at him.

* * *

Yet, it was late in the afternoon when King finally reached the passage for the Fairy Realm, and the light of the sun assumed an orange shade that gently enveloped the trees. The Fairies he met looked up and waved at him as he floated towards the large trunk of the tree that marked the connection between the Human and the Fairy Realm, ad he did his best to nod back to them even though his mind was elsewhere – it seemed to have become the norm, by now. He hadn't meant to be late, he really hadn't; when he had left Gerheade, he was determined to check the Sacred Tree immediately, just after advising his wife, but then … he wasn't sure about what had happened, then.

Diane was already awake when he had come back home, and it had been so awfully easy to lose track of time while talking with her, telling her that he had just gone to take a fly, and eating breakfast with her and then just chatting and working on a few things – their relationship with Liones and with Camelot, mostly. Before he knew, the sun was high in the sky and it was just when Diane had asked him if he wanted to go find Gerheade to ask her help that he had remembered about their conversation – and about what he had to do. Explaining Diane why he had to leave for a moment had taken some other time – his wings shifted nervously as her expression returned to his mind, violet eyes large and worried staring at him as she listened to his words. Even though she wasn't a Fairy and she couldn't fully understand what the Sacred Tree meant to them, she knew that it was important. And then, when he had tried to reassure her telling that since he had felt nothing from his bound it was probably nothing serious, she had asked it. "Is it possible – " a pause, her head tilted and bottom lip held between her teeth, "I mean, whatever is happening to the Tree, could it be the reason of your problems? Of the dreams?"

And he had frozen still, brows raised and half-open mouth, because it could have been possible. The Sacred Tree was the source of his power and if something had happened to It, he would have been the first to feel that – him, he thought, concern tightening his chest, and Elaine, but he hoped that if something had happened to his sister, he would have known by now. It was foolish that he hadn't thought about it before, not even when Gerheade had mentioned it that morning – he should have had. But he should have had done many things lately, and maybe he was about to discover the reason he hadn't.

Finally, his feet hit the surface of one of the large branches of the tree, but when he put his weight on them for a second it was like his legs couldn't support him and gave up. A low cry of surprise left his lips and he stumbled, moving a few steps forward, but he managed to recover the balance, his wings spreading wide behind him, after a moment. King grit his teeth, clenching his fists with irritation – apparently, the lack of sleep was starting to affect his body as well. He really hoped he could have fixed it soon, he was sick to feel like that. He took a deep breath and tried to relax his mind, focusing on the magic that surrounded the tree. It wasn't necessary to touch its wood nor to be so close to it to cross the passage between Britannia and the Fairy Realm, but it simply made it easier, and in his current state, he would have taken advantage of that. In the blink of an eye, the landscape around him had changed, the flourishing trees of the Fairy King's Forest replaced by the wild nature of the Fairy Realm, with its gigantic plants – even higher than the ones of the Forest – with their long, entangled vines and huge fungi sticking out from the ground, almost covering it with their caps. When he raised his eyes, his gaze immediately met the enormous shape of the Sacred Tree, Its wide dark brown trunk filled with dark recesses and the long branches splitting out and creating a large, solid canopy. That view had always been reassuring for him – and for all the other Fairies; it was a reminder that something was watching over them, something that had always been there and that would always have been, no matter how many millennia would have passed, how many Fairy Kings would have followed. The solid figure of the Sacred Tree would have always been there, giving them magic and a home. Yet, the only feeling he could sense as he looked at it was a sudden clench in his gut that made him gasp, and then icy fear crept through his veins with the awareness that he couldn't stay there for anything in the world and – run away run away _run away _.

His body moved by its own will as he took flight and turned his back to the tree, breath blocked in his throat, then flew away as fast as he could, winds hitting his face, ignoring the calls of the Fairy creatures that had been there and attender his arrival. It took a bit more than a minute to his thoughts to reorganize enough to let him realize what he was doing. He stopped abruptly, his body still bent forward for the flight, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. What had happened? He had never felt such a compelling urge to run away – and he had faced the Demon King himself, for the Gods! Holding his breath, he slowly turned back. This time when his eyes finally landed on the distant figure of the Tree he managed to control himself, but he couldn't deny the nauseating feeling in his stomach nor the fear that still rested inside him. His entire body was yelling at him to go away and put as much space as possible between that Tree and himself – but, damn it, why? Why should he have been scared by the Sacred Tree among all, the same source of his life?

His fists clenched, and he took a deep breath, trying to relax a bit, then he started flying back, toward the Tree. It was obvious that there was something wrong with it, something that was affecting him, and he was determined to understand what it could have been. Yet, his heart raced as he came closer and closer, his breath rapid and irregular; it was like being pulled back by a magical force, though he was sure there was no magic in action, he would have felt it. Fighting the sick feeling that was now almost suffocating him, King kept flying, until he finally grounded on one of the large fungi that surrounded the old, enormous trunk. He needed to catch his breath, but it was being strangely difficult, almost as the air was rarefied like it was in the heights of the sky.

Eyes narrowed, he focused only on breathing for a moment, relaxing the muscles of his back. When he finally opened his eyes again, he wasn't alone anymore. Trying to put himself together, he managed to lift a bit the corners of his mouth as he nodded to the Fairies and the little Spirits who were approaching him, some of them making a sign back, some other just smiling and whispering his name with such joy that he couldn't help but feel a bit better, even though the nausea hadn't stopped.

"Fairy King!" A voice stood out between the whispers. King glanced at his left and waved at Merik, waiting for the other Fairy to reach him. He landed next to him, a smile spreading over his face as he looked at him with hopeful green eyes. "Lady Gerheade told you would have come!"

"Of course," King answered quietly, crossing arms across his chest, his head slowly nodding as he kept observing the people around him. The urge to fly away hadn't left him yet, and it was getting difficult to maintain a controlled expression, but he seemed to be the only one with that problem. None of the other Fairies showed signs of discomfort, and even though he was relieved to ascertain that, it was worrying. It meant that whatever was wrong, it was about him - or at least, so it seemed. "What's exactly the problem?" He asked, turning his head towards Merik again.

The smile disappeared from his face as the other Fairy coughed and straightened his spine, joining his hands in front of him. "It's the Tree, my King," he said, his voice serious and tinged with worry. "I'm sure lady Gerheade already told you about it, but It … It's different than before, I can feel that – and It has something wrong with Its leaves. Some of them fell, others don't look normal at all. The wood doesn't seem to have anything bad, though, at least for now." He interlinked his fingers and nervously glanced at King. "Do you know what could have happened?"

The look in his eyes was of pure trust, as it would have been enough for King to glance at the Tree to solve the problem, and the awareness that he couldn't do that and that he would have disappointed him – and all his people – abruptly hit him. He tried not to let his panic shows through his face, but he probably didn't do a good job since Merik brows flinched and he tilted his head, blinking. "Are you feeling alright, Fairy King?"

"Sure," King managed to breathe out, forcing a likely unconvincing smile on his lips, "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I – well, I don't know what happened, but I will take care of whatever it is. Can you," he took a moment to inhale, squeezing his arms with his hands in the attempt to resist the urge to leave, "show me those leaves you talked about?" Get closer to the Tree was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had to give It a look.

Merik relaxed and nodded, his feet leaving the surface of the fungus and his wings flinching as he waved at him. "Follow me, Fairy King! We'll be there in a moment."

A gesture of greeting to the other Faires and then King was following him in the sky. Merik wasn't fast, not as he was, but for once he was grateful about it. Every movement toward the Tree made his gut clenched and his throat clamped, and he wasn't sure he could have done it moving faster. He carefully tried to keep a certain distance from the trunk, though, the idea of touching the wood sending thrills of pure panic through his spine. Merik stopped only when they had reached the mass of branches that erupted from the Tree, and he casually landed on one of them, pointing at the leaves that surrounded him. "Look at those! They don't have the right colour, and if you touch them – they are dry. But some others," he waved around, to the other branches, "are not. It doesn't seem to follow a path – we examined it, of course. It ... it simply doesn't make sense."

King tilted his head, putting a hand on his mouth, trying not to make the other Fairy notice his sharp breath as he bowed. Merik wasn't wrong, the colour of the leaves was darker than it should have been, and even though he didn't touch them – he couldn't have, the only idea of moving his arms closer made his muscles tense and rigid, unable to move – it was enough to look at them to see that their texture was wrong as well. They looked too thin, too dry, almost like during a drought – but that wasn't possible, not in the Fairy Realm, and to the Sacred Tree.

"When did this start?" He managed to ask, and even though he was trying to keep his voice firm it came out low and hesitant.

Marik shrugged, gaze fixed on the leaves. "I think Adir was the first to notice them, the day before yesterday, but it's possible that it started before and no one saw it. It didn't change much in those days though, whatever it is, it's not fast."

It was recent, then, more recent than his weird condition, but that didn't exclude that the two things could have been related. King swallowed, throat dry, still observing the leaves, and then he carefully tried to reach the Tree with his mind. It had been easy, before, his bond with it making it simple to feel its presence and its particularly complex essence. Yet, he couldn't feel anything from it, almost like there was nothing to feel except for the low murmurs that came from the plants around them, but it was just white noise if he didn't focus on it.

"Hum, would you want to touch them, Fairy King?"

Merik voice's dragged King back to reality. He blinked and turned towards the other Fairy, widening his eyes. "What?"

"I – well, we have tried, but it's not easy to feel It, it's … confusing. But you know how to make it, my King, better than anyone! Maybe if you'll touch It, you will understand what is wrong." He nodded, looking at him with anticipation.

He was right. Touching the Tree, establishing a physical connection with It, would have made things easier, but when he glanced at the darkening leaves and the old, rugged wood, he knew he couldn't do that. His body was frozen, and the only thought of lay his hand on whatever part of the Sacred Tree made him feel sick. He wouldn't have touched it, even though it didn't make sense, not after what happened the last time he had touched a tree. A glimpse of panic crossed his mind as he recalled the other tree, that had been so different and yet so similar to this one – the tree. _The tree_, he thought, eyes widening, that was the problem, it had to be! What had it done to him? It had to be stopped, _he_ had to stop It, and to do that he had to –

But then he eyed at Merik and met his look of confusion – he was probably waiting for his king to do something – and his mind lost its track, thoughts confusing and dispelling, and the only thing he knew was that he had to speak, to escape that situation, because there was no way he was touching that tree. "Merlin!"

Merik's eyebrows rose then drew together at his exclamation, clearly puzzled. "What?"

"Merlin," King explained, words rushing fast out of his mouth as he still tried to make sense of the sudden idea that had formed in his mind. "She is a friend of mine. She is a mage, a very powerful one, she can help me with us without risking someone to get hurt."

"Get … hurt?" Merik asked hesitantly, crossing his arms. "My King … what's happening?"

Pressing his lips together, King shook his head. "I'm not sure, yet, but I promise, we will figure it out soon. Until now," he rapidly glanced at the branches around him, waving at them, "try to … not to touch anything of the Tree, okay? I have a bad feeling about it, and it's better to be safe."

Merik opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, then simply nodded, his expression still confused and a hint of worry showing up in his eyes. "If you say so, Fairy King …" He murmured, "but what – "

"I will speak with Merlin as soon as possible," he said, starting to slowly fly away from the Tree. He wasn't sure he could stay there anymore, the nausea almost unbearable by now. "But Merik – don't worry. We can solve it. Just ... be safe, and tell the others."

He barely stopped to hear the Fairy's puzzled and feeble "Yes", he was already flying down, as fast as he could, the feeling to be freed by a burden stronger every inch he put between the Sacred Tree and himself.

* * *

As soon as his feet touched the soft ground of the Fairy King's Forest, King let out a sigh of relief, the sickness that had tormented him until then feeling just like a memory. He knew that he should have been looking for Gerheade now, to tell her that he had gone to check the Tree and how he felt, but the mere thought of telling her that he hadn't been able to touch the Tree and that he still didn't have an idea of what was happening made him groan. Then, his mind ran to Diane. He hadn't been gone for long, maybe less than an hour, but he wanted to see her. Glancing at the sky, he noticed that it was almost dark, the pale shape of the moon barely visible over the line of the trees. It wouldn't have taken long to greet his wife, he thought, and then, he would have looked for Gerheade, he had to. Besides, she had promised him a tea.

Flying rapidly, he moved through the trees, trying to detect Diane's presence. It wasn't difficult usually, her strong power always stood out between the ones of the other Giants. It took a few seconds to find it, somewhere in the East part of the Forest, near to the place where the majority of her Clan still resided. Pursing his lips, he flew in that direction. There were many reasons why she should have been there, but he couldn't help but feel a hint of worry in his chest – he hoped nothing had happened. As he he came closer, her presence became more clear as did the others that surrounded hers, mostly Giants and a few Fairies. She wasn't exactly where the others were, he notices, furrowing his brows, but a bit distant from the largest group, and she wasn't alone, but at least it seemed like nothing was wrong. When got a glimpse of her figure through the trunks his body started to relax, a little smile spreading over his face. Then, he finally saw the Giant she was talking with. Slowing down, he narrowed his eyes – why was he talking to her, now? Diane didn't look very content as well, brows knitted and eyes hard as he stared at him, listening to what he was saying.

Letting out a snort, King finally emerged from the trees and quickly reached Diane's side, floating right next to her head. "Diane," he greeted her, smiling softly – he was rewarded as she turned towards him, the corners of her mouth turning up and her gaze softening, the low whisper of his name on her lips – then he looked at the other Giant, smile disappearing, and tried to keep an indifferent expression, "Gonf."

The male Giant's lips parted only to murmur a growled "Fairy King," and then pressed together as his forehead puckered.

Since he didn't show any will to keep talking, King glanced at Diane. "What's happening? I hope everything is fine."

"Well," Diane began, rolling her eyes slightly, but the other Giant interrupted her.

"I was talking to the Giant Queen about a matter of the Giant Clan," he said, his voice gruff and low, eyes narrowing. His gaze remained fixed on King, and even though he didn't add anything else, it was obvious what he would have wanted to say. "_ Those are nothing of your business, piss off," _or something like that. King's jaw clenched, feeling the sudden and unexpected desire to hit the man with his spear, but he managed to stay still, waiting for Diane to decide how to deal with him.

"Gonf, should I remind you another time that our Clans are now jointed? It's been years by now," Diane pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Whatever you want to discuss with me, the argument you were sustaining right now comprised, it's a matter not only of your queen but also of your king. Is that clear?"

Gonf borrowed his head and a low "Of course," passed between his teeth, but even without actively reading his heart, King could almost feel the rage and hatred that poured from him. It took him a physical effort not to react. He didn't mind what this man thought about him, but he couldn't stand to see him talking like that to his wife - nor, he realized, showing that kind of feelings towards her. He bit his lips, taking a deep breath. Diane was perfectly able to handle the situation and to defend herself if it was necessary. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact that having someone like Gonf in his Forest was dangerous - for his people, for his queen.

"I will leave, then," the male Giant finally added, before glancing at King from under his eyebrows, "there is nothing more we have to discuss, you made it pretty clear, Giant Queen." The last words were almost spat out.

King held his breath and for a moment his mind was blinded by rage – maybe he could have actually hit him with Chastiefol, to show him that acting like this had a consequence; and besides, they said that the Giants were very resilient, right? But then Diane stepped forward until she was right in front of Gonf, end even though she was at least two feet shorter than him, she seemed almost looking down on him, the incredible strength of her power surrounding her like an aura. "Exactly," she said, "the matter is closed. But if you wish to discuss it again, we can do it, although you should still remember what happened the last time that you challenged me on something like this."

The male Giant stiffened, gritting his teeth, his mind probably recalling the humiliating defeat her had suffered when he had openly discussed Diane's decision and then managed to challenge her to a fight. "Yes, Giant Queen," he said, a bit quieter, but his eyes still burned with anger. He rapidly turned his back to them and walked away, spine stiff; his figure soon disappeared between the trees.

King followed him with his gaze for a moment, lips pursed, then looked back at Diane. Her eyes were still fixed where the other Giant had been, shoulder stiffened, her expression a combination of irritation and worry. Then she let out a sigh and turned towards him, a weak smile forming on her lips. "Hey," she murmured, raising a hand to meet his own, "I'm sorry for … that."

King shrugged, wrapping his hands around her fingers. "You did nothing. What did he want?"

Diane sighed again. "It's just … let's go home, alright? I'll tell you on the way."

As she walked through the trees, King floating next to her head, she explained him, her hands nervously gesticulating in the air, that Gonf had come to find her because he wanted to build some sort of stone construction outside the Forest, where the Giant could have stayed "alone and without meeting beings from other Clans" as, he had added, it should have been. Diane grit her teeth, arms tightly crossed across her chest. "I can't believe he keeps asking things like that! It's been two years, he could have at least tried to adapt to our new life! And he … he didn't, and he doesn't, he keeps isolating himself, and the worst is, others listen to him! I just," she snorted, a hand reaching for a lock or her hair and starting to play with it, "I just would want them to understand that it's not necessary to be alone anymore. They can if they want, but at least, they shouldn't be so – so hateful and openly against everything."

"I'm sorry," King whispered, getting closer to her until he could reach her cheek with his hand. "But Diane, you did everything you could to help your Clan to adapt to change, and you succeeded with most of them. Whatever problem that group has, it's not something that depends on you."

"I know, but ..." She bit her bottom lip, looking away. "I can't understand why they are like this.

"Gonf had always thought like that," King murmured, nodding slowly, "since the first time I've seen him – I didn't even have to read his heart. He doesn't like me, the other Fairies and the fact that you are working so hard on changing the Giants' way of living. It's not your fault, Diane, he is just too closed and stubborn."

"He never liked me either," Diane mumbled as she stroked softly his hair with her fingertip, "apparently, I'm too young and too weird to be a good leader for the Giants. It doesn't matter how many times I defeat him in a fight, he will never change his mind."

"You don't have to make him change his mind, he had already too many chances."

Diane stopped and glanced at him, a brow raised. "So what should I do? Ignore him? Avoid him every time he approaches me and tries to convince me that what I'm doing is insane?" A little smile crossed her lips, "I can't keep doing this forever."

"No," King shook his head and looked at her blankly, following the sudden and yet so clear the path of thoughts that had formed in his mind. "You can always banish him and the ones who agree with him. Send them away, I will assure that they won't be able to put a foot in the Fairy King's Forest never again."

Diane's eyes widened and she stared at him, confusion spreading over her face. "What? Send them away?" Brows furrowed, she tilted her head, studying him as trying to understand if he was serious. "I can't do that, Harlequin. What I'm trying to do is reuniting all the Giants, not spreading them around Britannia! I don't even know what they would do, they could be killed – or kill and do harm to humans."

"What will happen to them is not something you should worry about," he shrugged, looking away, "we can't keep in the Forest someone we can't trust, and those Giants – we definitively cannot trust them. It's better if we throw them out."

"Are you – are you even listening to what you are saying?" Diane's sudden voice, mixed of surprise and worry, made him glance at her. She was glaring at him, her violet gaze so intense that he could almost feel it on his skin. "We won't banish those people just because they disagree with us, it's not how we can solve this problem! I can take care of them, as I did for the last few months, and try to make the see that what we are doing is good for our Clans."

"This is silly and dangerous," King grumbled, "they could never change their mind." He immediately understood that he shouldn't have said that, as he saw Diane's eyes widen even more and her nostrils flare, her hand retiring from his body and returning to her side. And he regretted immediately his words – he would have never wanted to imply that what she was doing was stupid, it was just that it was reckless and he was worried about what could have happened. But before he could correct himself, she was speaking,

"How … this is not silly! Caring about your people, wanting to make them understand and to protect them, it's not silly! You – you told me that, you always acted like that!" She exploded, clenching her fits. "You wouldn't do that! You didn't even think to banish the Fairies who didn't agree with the merging of our Clans."

"No, I didn't, because they didn't keep speaking against me and they didn't question every move I made! I am sure they won't betray us, they respect their king. And besides, the Forest is their home, it had always been. " He felt his heart aching when he saw the hurt in her eyes – why was he talking like that to her? He ran a hand through his hair and clenched his jaw, trying to find something to say to retire his words.

"This is our home too, now," she said, voice low and trembling with emotion, "and I can handle those Giants, they – "

"Are you sure?" The words escaped his lips before he could stop them, but he regretted them the moment he finished speaking.

Diane's lips trembled and she inhaled sharply, taking a moment before speaking, her voice low, almost a whisper. "I am. I thought you trusted me, Harlequin."

"I – I do trust you, it's just," he fidgeted his fingers, biting the inside of his cheek, desperately trying to find a way to make her understand what he really meant. "I don't trust them, and I don't want them to - to betray and hurt you - and our people."

"They won't," she stated, eyes shining with irritation, "they are not like that, and even if they were, they know I would be able to stop them." She took a moment to catch her breath, studying him with her intense gaze, making his heart racing - she had never looked at him like this. "What's happening to you? Why are you acting like that, this – this is not you!"

"I - I'm just trying to protect us and our people!" He blurted out, running a hand through his hair. He was done seeing people suffering because of things he could have avoided, and this - this looked like an unstable situation to him.

"Do you think I don't want that too?" She asked, the bitterness in her voice making his breath stop. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to reassure her that of course he knew that she wanted that too, that he was just worried, but she shook her head. "Let it go. I … I need some time alone to think. And it would be good for you as well," she glared at him, a spark of rage in her violet irises, "you should reflect on what you said tonight." Then she moved away, her steps rapid and nervous, and before he could say anything else, she was gone.

King's first instinct was to follow her and talk to her, to apologize and to make her understand that he didn't mean that, of course he didn't, he knew her. He floated still in the air, his hand raised to reach for her, then he clenched his fist and lowered his arm. She was right, he could see it clearly now. It didn't matter how much he didn't like those Giants, he shouldn't have spoken like that to her, to his wife, to his queen, insinuating that she wasn't able to deal with her own Clan. And, he thought, his blood chilling, he shouldn't have suggested sending those people away. It would have been dangerous, both for them and for the humans who would have met them. It would have been selfish. Eyes fixed on his hands, his jaw clenching at the point it started to hurt, he wondered what in the world was happening to him, and what he could do to stop it.

* * *

Diane's eyes were open in the dark, fixed on fragments of the sky that she could see between the branches, eyes wandering over the dark blue sprinkled with distant stars. Sighing, she finally rolled on her hip, moving her gaze on the brown trunks around her. She couldn't sleep. Of course, she couldn't. It wasn't because of the grassy earth under her body – it was soft, and she was used to sleeping on way more difficult grounds, nor was the cool breeze on her skin. It was because of Harlequin - or, better, because of the lack of him. It had rarely happened that they had slept separated after they had become a couple, and now she could almost feel the absence of his body pressing against her own – his warm embrace encircling her when she was the same size as him, the feeling of him curling up on her skin, in her hand, in the crook of her neck, when she was a Giant. And besides, it was the first time that the reason why they weren't sleeping together was that they fought.

At first, she hadn't meant to spend the night alone, she just wanted a moment to calm down, blow off some steam and wipe away the tears that were about to fall from her eyes. She had wandered in the Forest for a while before she had felt calm enough to think about what had happened. It was still difficult to believe that Harlequin had spoken to her like that after everything they went through, and what he had said ... Choose an easy, ruthless solution just because he was worried simply wasn't like him, like the person he had become. He had spared Mael, for the Goddesses! And the Archangel had been a far more serious threat that a group of stubborn Giants. It wasn't the first time and the past few days that he acted so differently, and Diane started seriously worrying about it. Harlequin kept saying that it was just tiredness, but - but what if it wasn't just that? And now, the Sacred Tree had something wrong too, and she couldn't help but fear that it could have been something to do with Harlequin's behavior. After she had cooled down a bit, she had wanted to find him, to speak with his and understand what had happened, but she hadn't felt his presence anywhere close to home, and she had assumed that maybe he wanted to spend some time alone too. Even though thinking about how they were separated made her heart ache in her chest, perhaps having some time to really realize what he had said would have done him good. And so she here she was, laying on the ground - sleeping in their bed without him just didn't feel right – restless and very not likely to sleep.

Finally, she sat down with a sigh and crossed her arms, leaning them on her knees. Maybe not looking for him hadn't been the best idea. She was still convinced that he was in the wrong, but at the same time, it would have been stupid not to notice that there had been something strange in their argument, in the way he had spoken and acted. And besides, the idea of him laying in the dark somewhere in the Forest, restless exactly like her made her stomach clench. She pursed her lips, closing her eyes, and tried to find his presence. He was not home, like before, nor he had got closer to the place she chose to sleep. Furrowing her brows, she looked for him in the surroundings and bit her lip, confused by the fact that it was taking so long to find him - it was easier, usually, his power so strong and familiar that she could have pointed it out anywhere. She felt him abruptly, a couple of seconds later, and immediately opened her eyes, a corner of her mouth lifting. She knew that place. She stood up, immediately starting moving in his direction; her wait was over.

Harlequin had shown her that place years before, the first time she had stepped in the Fairy King's Forest, the war just began and her memories still lost. From that elevated section of the ground, it was possible to have a vantage point on the rest of the Forest, and the view that opened in front of her when she finally reached the place made her hold her breath. The trees were beautiful under the moonlight, the light grass under her feet looking almost silver. It wasn't a surprise that it was one of King's favourite places, and that she had grown to love it as well.

Harlequin was exactly where she had known she would have found him, sitting on the ground with his back against the roots of a tree, facing the landscape, arms crossed over his chest. It seemed like he had just wanted to sit there for a while, but apparently at the end he had fallen asleep, his head bent down and his hair covering his face. It wasn't surprising, Diane thought as she approached him, smiling softly; he had been exhausted in the past few days. Yet, it wasn't a serene sleep, she realized the moment she was close enough to hear his rapid breathing. Quickly, she put a finger under his chin, making him raise his head so that she could look at him, and the expression of anguish in his face made her heart skip a beat. Another nightmare. She gritted her teeth before grabbing her pill bottle from her pocket and swallowing one. The second later she was kneeling next to him, cupping his face with her hands. "Harlequin," she shrieked, thumbs brushing his cheekbones, "Harlequin, wake up! Harlequin!"

His breath stopped for a second as opened his eyes, his gaze moving on her, the amber of the irises almost totally hidden by the blackness of the dilated pupils. He inhaled sharply, then he tried to speak, but only fragments of words came out of his mouth, nothing that she could understand. Diane let out a sigh of relief – at least he was awake – and come closer, still looking into his eyes. "Calm down, my love," she murmured, hoping that her voice could calm him - it had worked before, "it was just a dream."

King swallowed, eyes still round and face as pale as bone, and then he creaked, voice so low and broken that she could barely hear him, "They'll kill us."

"What?" Her eyes widened. Usually, it took him less than a second to wake up properly and realize that he had had another dream. She didn't remember him saying anything like that before. "Who kills … who – "

"They are our kind and they come to kill us all," he blurted out, voice raising in desperation, and it seemed like he wanted to add something but he couldn't, words trapped in his throat. Fear was so clear in his features that Diane's heart ached, almost torn apart - she hated to see him like that, fragile like glass and about to break.

"No," she said, trying to sound confident and reassuring, "no one is killing you, I promise you. You are safe, I'm here with you." She moved closer, touching his forehead with hers, "I'm here."

Harlequin closed his eyes, leaning on her, his breath slowing down. When he blinked and looked at her again, he seemed to finally recognize her and relief spread over his features. "Diane," he whispered, saying her name almost as he couldn't believe she was there, "Diane." And then his trembling lips met her own and his arms raised to make her move closer to him, holding her tight like he was afraid that she would have disappeared.

It took just a second to Diane to kiss him back, pushing back in the recesses of her mind every thought about their fight and the strange words he had whispered to her when he had woken up. She shivered, not for the cold, when she felt his hands caressing her skin over her dress, reaching for the buttons on her back, sighing when he stopped, moving away from her lips. He looked at her, lips moving slightly, but before he could ask for permission she kissed him again, deeply, her hands grabbing his shirt. She held him and comforted him with her embrace, her kisses, her love, until he fell on her, eyes closed and rapid breath, his arms still surrounding her in a hug and their bodies as close as they could have been. She waited, caressing his hair and back, until she felt him relax against her and she was sure he had fallen asleep. Only then she allowed herself to rest too, curling against him. The day after they would have had to talk about their argument, she knew it, and also finally had a serious conversation about his nightmares and his strange arguments. But for now, she just wanted to enjoy his warmth, the sound of his heart beating under her ear lulling her.

* * *

When Diane woke up, she didn't need to open her eyes to know that Harlequin was still there, his arms around her, his slow breath tickling her face. She smiled in half-sleep and inhaled his sweet scent, moving her arms to hold him closer and –

She froze. Her eyes snapped open as she raised, lifting the upper part of her naked body, and for a long moment she just stared at him, eyes wide and lips parted, not able to move or to speak. He was Harlequin. Of course he was him, she knew his smell and the feeling of his body against hers. But it had been years since she had seen him like this – smaller figure, shorter hair and tiny wings sprouting from his back. Her blood ran cold as the panic closed her throat, making it difficult to breathe - it was wrong, something was very, very wrong. Her hands rapidly grasped Harlequin's shoulder as she shook him, calling his name, "Harlequin, wake up!"

He immediately blinked a few times, eyes still clouded by sleep, and he lifted his head, looking at her from under his half-closed eyelids. "Diane? What's happening?" His eyes finally fully opened as he raised, staring at her with worry. "Are ... are you alright?"

Diane bit her lip and shook her head – why was he even worrying about her? –, lips parting to speak, but for a moment she couldn't find the words. "Harlequin, you …" she finally whispered, swallowing, "your body …"

"My what?" His brows drew together, but then he glanced as his own body. For a moment, he just stared, a puzzled expression on his face. Then he blinked, his face paling as he raised his hands, looking at them and then at the rest of him with astonishment. Abruptly he turned to look at his back, a surprised yell escaping his throat as he saw the tiny blue wings emerging from his skin.

He returned his gaze to her, eyes wide and pupil dilated, breath rapid and irregular. "What," he tried to say, but his voice broke. He had to take a moment, inhaling sharply, before he quavered in panic, "What's happening to me?"


	5. Chapter 5: Just some more time

_**A/N**_: Once again, it took longer than I thought, but here I am! The chapter is again longer than expected, I hope you won't mind.

The cover of the chapter was once again made by Redworld96 (please, go check her work, she is a great artist and her drawings are amazing), who has been so helpful with this chapter. And as always, thanks to Trig for being a wonderful beta reader and helping me improve.

Thanks to everyone who read or commented on the story, it always makes me so happy!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter V: Just some more time **

The wooden surface of the seat was cold under King's fingertips, hard and unpleasant when he tightened his grip on the edge, eyes fixed on Merlin's face waiting for her to say something, _anything_. The woman stood in front of him, head slightly tilted, the oddments of the soft glow of her magic slowly vanishing from her still raised hands. It had never been easy to read her, not for him and – he was sure – not even for his comrades; she seemed to always have perfect control over her emotions. Yet, he knew her enough to notice the way her eyelashes faintly flattered and the thin line that appeared between her brows. Something wasn't going as she had expected. King grit his teeth and breathed in, barely registering the warm touch of Diane's hand on his left shoulder as she squeezed it. Apparently, it wouldn't have been as easy as he thought. "This," Merlin said as she continued to study him, narrowing her golden eyes, "is peculiar."

"What do you mean?" Gowther gazed anxiously at her from King's right, where he had stood during the whole time of the examination. He had been the first to meet with him and Diane as soon as they had arrived in Camelot, a large smile spread over his face – he had probably thought they had come to visit, King thought bitterly. His smile disappeared as soon as he noticed King's condition and Diane's anguished expression. There was no need of many words, he immediately accompanied them to Merlin. King wasn't sure where exactly they found her or what she was doing before they reached her lab. His mind had been clouded and confused since the moment he had woke up – Diane's shaking voice making his heart leap and his breath stop, since the moment he had looked at his own body and saw … _that_. He would have probably stared at himself for ages, too shocked to move, if Diane hadn't been here. She had taken only a few seconds to recover before deciding that they would have immediately gone to Camelot. After she had got dressed, she had left him only for a moment, to find a Fairy that could have informed Gerheade of what had happened. The effect of Merlin's pill had vanished shortly after and then she had carried him there, never letting him leave the gentle but firm grip of her hand.

"He ran out of magic, obviously," Merlin stated, putting a hand under her chin, "he has not enough to maintain his wings. Nothing else seems to be wrong."

"There has to be something!" Diane's grip on his shoulder became tight, her fingers almost digging into his skin – she released him a second later, realizing what she was doing, but his mind was so clouded that he barely paid attention to that. "He didn't use his magic at allin the last hours," she continued, "how could he have run out of it?"

"Are you sure? Nothing at all?"

Merlin's penetrating gaze made his blood stir – why was she even questioning them about that? "I didn't," King almost growled before Diane could answer at his place, shaking his head maybe too fast – the simple movement made his head spinning, and he had to blink a couple of time and take a deep breath to clear his mind. Gods, he didn't even know it was possible to feel so tired! "I didn't use it more than usual recently, I don't need to. That's _not_ the problem." His voice came out like a choked hiss, but at least it wasn't trembling. However, he couldn't help to notice the way the gazes of his friends lingered on him and the traces of preoccupation on their features. He hated it. He hated to feel so weak, as he was about to break, without even a sensible reason. Diane's hand glided over his clothes, stopping on a point between his shoulder blades and pressing softly, as to calm him, and even though the gesture made him breathe a low sigh of relief, he didn't dare to look at her, he didn't want to face the concern in her eyes. His gaze remained fixed on Merlin, instead, in an attempt to show her that he was completely sure about what he had said. Whatever had drained his magic, it wasn't a simple misuse of it.

The mage stared at him for a second, chin still held between her fingers, before giving him a nod. Then she took a step towards him, bending down to take a better look. "Anyway, you don't look good, and I'm not talking only about your change. It almost seems like you are ill – but we both know that's not possible. Did you remember eating or drinking something different?"

"I've not been poisoned," King snarled, "not in my Forest. I would know."

"And I've eaten and drank what he did," Diane added, shaking her head. "Not always, but often enough. It's not likely. It's just," she stopped and glanced at him, chewing her bottom lip, "he – "

"I can't sleep," he finished for her, "not much. But that shouldn't affect my magic! It doesn't work like that."

A spark of interest lightened in Merlin's gaze, and she straightened herself out without looking away. "Since when you have this problem?"

King shrugged, passing a hand over his face as he tried to think about the correct answer – his thoughts felt slow and thick as mud, "Maybe a couple of weeks by now."

Gowther's brows raised in surprise, his mouth opening, and even Merlin flinched a brow. "It's a long time to have insomnia … do you know what could cause it?" She asked.

"Some stupid nightmares. They won't let me sleep," he grumbled. He really didn't want to think about that other problem at that moment.

"Nightmares?" Merlin's eyes narrowed as she considered his words. "It wouldn't be the first time for you – why didn't simply ask for my help?"

King muttered something about trying another solution before, but at that moment he couldn't remember exactly why he hadn't simply given up and gone for Merlin. Sure, he had wanted to ask Gerheade first, but he hadn't, only the Gods knew why. It would have made sense to resort to Merlin's help. It felt so stupid right now! Maybe sleeping wouldn't have prevented whatever had happened to him, but at least he would have been able to face it in a better mental state. He felt once again Diane's hand caressing his back, as to reassure him, before she spoke again.

"It's not like the other times. The nightmares – they are _different_, and they don't stop."

"What do you mean?" Gowther asked, tilting his head, his eyes filled with worry moving from King to Diane. "How are they different?"

"They … well, they have a stronger effect on him, I think," Diane answered, her voice low and a bit hesitant, "and they scare him. Sometimes, in the past, they had been pretty bad – but I don't remember them scaring him so much."

King felt a flush creeping over his face and lowered his eyes, fixing them on his feet; he could accept Diane seeing him being so fragile after those dreams, but letting his friends know made him feel even more vulnerable – and a burden. The sight of his new, poorly made shoes only made him feel worse, reminding him how stupidly difficult had been to create them. The clothes he had worn only the day before were now too big for him, and he had to make new ones before leaving the Forest. The thought of how difficult it had been to manipulate the leaves of a near tree to create a simple shirt, pants and shoes made him swallow and bit the inside of his cheek. It was something so easy, he didn't know even a Fairy that wasn't able to do it. And yet, he was almost panting after he had done, the feeling of Diane's large, horrified eyes on his body making him want to puke.

"What are those nightmares about?"

Merlin's pragmatic voice made him re-emerge from his thoughts, and he raised his head to meet her eyes again. "I don't know, I never remember them," he grumbled before shaking slowly his head, jaw clenched. "It's so stupid, when I wake up they simply turn to shadows – there are figures and … fire, sometimes, I can't remember more. But I know they are not like my usual nightmares. I don't think they are about me at all."

Merlin nodded, staring blankly at him, "And did you have one of them this night, before this happened?"

King felt a burst of rage blazing in his chest – how this was even helpful? "What has this to do with – with this?" His hand finally let got the edge of the table to angrily wave at his own body. "A dream can't drain my magic!"

"No, it can't," the mage agreed, "but for now it seems to be the only strange thing that happened to you." She paused, pressing her lips together. "I am trying to help you, King. Just answer my question."

"He had," Diane blurted out before King could answer, and he took a deep breath in an attempt to control his anger, clenching his jaw as he decided to let her speak. It wasn't the moment to fight. His wife turned towards him, biting her bottom lip, "You were having one when I ... joined you, that's the reason I woke you up."

His forehead puckered, but he nodded. He barely remembered waking up, the memories blurred and confused in his mind, but he couldn't forget how he had felt – fear clenching his chest in a suffocating grip, almost overwhelming him. He didn't know what he would have done in that state if he hadn't seen Diane bending over him, her beloved features and her low, soft voice leading him back to her and the world. "I – yes, you are right, but it wasn't different from the others, I don't recall anything about it."

Diane nodded her head, pressing her lips together hesitantly before slowly continuing, "You … you told me something to me when I woke you up. Do you remember that?"

King blinked in surprise – this was new. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to recall the events of the last night, but he didn't remember having talked much with Diane. A sharp pain crossed his head when he tried harder, a low moan of pain passing through his lips – he barely shook his head when his wife bent down towards him, eyeing at him with concern, in attempting to make her understand that she didn't have to worry. He breathed in before answering, almost disgusted by the way his voice sounded weak and low. "I don't, at all."

"So it's not normal for him to speak, after?" Merlin crossed her arms, her eyes darting from him to Diane, and when the Giantess nodded, she added, "What did he say?"

Diane took a moment before answering, turning towards King again, her eyes fixed on his. "You told someone was about to kill you," she said, her voice sounding like it was about to break – the thought scared her, King realized, and he felt as if something was crushing his heart; of course, she was scared! What was he even thinking when he had said something like that to her?

"I don't know who you were talking about," she continued, a bit more determined, "you simply said 'them'. And then you said something about them being your … your kind, I think, and that they were coming to kill you. I don't think you were talking just about yourself, though, but it was just an impression - exactly what you meant, it wasn't clear."

Silence fell on the room for a moment. King barely registered Merlin's curious stare and Gowther's brows furrowing, probably trying to find a sense to those words, as he looked at Diane, head slightly tilted, his eyes widen. "It doesn't make sense," he murmured, "I don't remember dreaming something like this." The nightmare was nothing more than a shadow in his mind, more like a bunch of emotions than actual images. "That's crazy, why should I even be afraid of – of _that_? Of my own kind! Why should they – it's foolish, we Fairies don't kill each other, we haven't in millennia! There is no reason we should start now."

"Well, it happened once, didn't it?" King turned towards Merlin, his brows rising in surprise – how she did even know that? – as she added, her gaze almost rapacious as she studied him, "Before the first Holy War – how did you call it, exactly?"

"I – " King stopped, taking a deep breath, irritation burning inside his chest. "What happened then doesn't matter," he growled, ignoring Diane and Gowther's curious gaze, "it's an old story and it doesn't have anything to do with my dreams or what's happening to me right now – it can't. I don't even know why we are still talking about those stupid nightmares! They can't affect my magic, it has to be something else!"

"Well, what then?" Merlin asked, holding his gaze, her eyes hard against his. "Tell me, there is something else equally strange that happened to you? Because for now, this is our only lead."

For a long instant no one spoke, none of them willing to let it go, until Diane almost jumped, her grip on King's shoulder tightening. "Harlequin," she exclaimed, her eyes searching for him with urgency, "the Sacred Tree! Did you – what is happening with the Sacred Tree?"

_Oh_. King froze, the memories of his visit to the Tree returning to his mind along with the uncomfortable reminder of how he had felt in Its presence. He shifted clumsily, realizing for the first time that he hadn't thought about it, not at all – _how_? After what he had said to Diane, he hadn't been able to focus on anything else, consumed with guilt and regret, the terror of what was happening to him making his head spinning. It suddenly came to his mind that he didn't discuss the event with Gerheade as he had planned to, and he didn't even think about asking Merlin's help even though she stood right in front of him – but until then he had had other things to take care about, he thought gritting his teeth, desperately trying to ignore the horrible feeling of not having control anymore over his body and mind.

But now he remembered, now he could at least talk to Merlin about that issue – although it really wasn't her business and he shouldn't have let a _human, _or whatever she was,interfering with his Forest – no. King shook his rapidly head – once again, his mind clouded and his sight doubled, but he was able to recover in just a couple of seconds. He couldn't keep thinking like that, it was wrong, he _knew_ it was wrong. It had to be this tiredness, it kept playing tricks on his mind. When he was finally able to look at Diane again, he answered her question, "I don't know. Something was wrong but I couldn't understand what it was. Nothing like this has ever happened before." He glanced at Merlin, meeting her intrigued eyes. "Some Fairies noticed that a few of the leaves of the Sacred Tree have changed," he explained, "the colour, the texture … it's wrong, they seem almost dry – and the Sacred Tree _doesn't have_ dry leaves. I was wondering if you," he took a moment to take a deep breath, fighting the sudden urge to close his mouth and _stop talking_, _stop revealing those people the secrets of his Clan_. "I was wondering if you could help me," he managed to finish, "I can't understand what's wrong with it."

Merlin was silent for a few moments, golden irises fixed on him, looking almost emotionless if it weren't for the interest in her eyes. "I thought you had a special connection with that tree," she said, tilting her head.

The blush that crept over King's neck and cheek was both for embarrassment and irritation. "I _do_, but something is not working and I'm afraid it could be dangerous – to me, to my people – to deal with it alone. So," clenched his fists, swallowing his reticence, "will you help me?"

"Of course," Merlin nodded, the shadow of a smile on her lips. King could hear Diane's sigh of relief tickling his skin. The corner of his mouth quirked up – maybe they would have solved the problem, after all. "I can come to see the tree right now," the mage continued, "if you let me enter the Fairy Realm I – "

"No." Once again, King felt all the gazes of the room on him, Diane and Gowther staring at him, confusion spreading over their face; even Merlin looked caught off guard, her brows furrowing. King blinked, startled by his own hard tone. He didn't want Merlin to come in the Fairy Realm, he suddenly realized, not that day. He squeezed his eyes, trying out the reason and the provenience of that sudden feeling, but he couldn't. And yet, when he opened his mouth to speak – he wasn't even sure to say what, it suddenly was perfectly clear. "I need to be in better shape when you will come. I need to be able to help you if it's needed – and like this, I can't." He paused for a moment, holding Merlin's skeptical gaze, "I – I just need some sleep, then we will be able to do it together."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to wait?" Gowther asked, lips pressed in a thin line, the light of the sun making his glasses shining – it made them almost painful to look at when King glanced at him.

"Harlequin …" Diane murmured near his ear, "he is right. I know you want to be able to do something, but what if it gets worse?" It's not clear if she is talking about the Sacred Tree or his condition. At this point, probably both.

"It shouldn't – it won't," he quickly reassured her, gaze darting from his wife to his friend, "whatever is affecting the Sacred Tree, it's slow. Some hours shouldn't make a difference." His eyes stopped on Merlin, whose furrowed brows and forehead puckered showed that she wasn't happy at all. "I don't know what is happening, but it's about me – my Clan, my realm. I need to be able to help."

The woman pursed her lips, but before she could protest the creak of the door opening made them stop and turning toward it just in time to see Escanor's head peeking out, nervously running a finger on his moustache. As always, his eyes immediately found Merlin and for a moment, it was like she was the only person in the room for him. Then he blinked and glanced at them as well, "I ... ehm, they told me I would find you here, I just wanted to say hi to – ", his voice died as his eyes landed on King, widening at the sight of what had been of him.

King pressed his lips in a hard line and avoided his gaze but managed to murmur a low, "Escanor", and nodded slightly his head.

Diane was better. "Hi Escanor, it's good to see you," she gently said, without leaving King's side, her hand still resting reassuringly on his shoulder; even though he wasn't looking at her, King knew that she was smiling – or at least trying to.

"I, hum, it's a pleasure to see you as well," the other man answered, shyly entering in the room when Merlin waved at him, "but may I ask – it's everything okay? King, are you … are you feeling alright?" He clasped his hands, looking at him from under his furrowed brows.

King breathed in and tried to straighten his spine. "I can't say I'm alright at the moment," he admitted, "but we are going to solve this ... situation," he continued, glancing at his body. He moved his eyes on Merlin then, "I promise I will send you a messenger soon, and we will see the Sacred Tree together. And if you could help me with this silly sleep problem, I'd be grateful."

Merlin looked back at him, a brow flinched and her lips pursed. She wasn't happy about his plan, it was obvious – she would have rather see the Tree immediately, but King couldn't let her do that – _it was_ _too soon_. Finally she sighed, slightly shaking her head. "I trust your decision, King. I will wait. Meanwhile, I will see if there is something in my library about this particular phenomenon – but I doubt it, you Fairies have a tendency not to let anything written, or to share your business with anyone. But before you go," she added, glaring at him when he nodded and tried to stand up, "I'll take a sample of your blood. I believe that whatever is happening to the Sacred Tree could be the cause of your condition as well, but I want to see if there is something wrong – in your body and your magic. Just to be safe."

The slight curve of her lips told King that she probably wouldn't have used his blood only for that, but at that moment he didn't care about what weird new experiment Merlin could have been planning. "Alright," he agreed, sitting back down, "let's do it."

* * *

Floating wasn't bad, King decided as he flew down the hallways of the newly reconstructed castle of Camelot. The only thought of moving faster or traveling long distances made him feel sick, there was no way he could do that, but simply floating was bearable. It was better than walking. Diane was by his side, gently holding his hand as she traced circles on his skin with her thumb, occasionally glancing at him to check if he was alright. King did his best to smile at her, trying to show her that even though he still felt tired, it wouldn't have been a problem to float until they reached the walls of the city, where she could have got back to her natural size. But then ... then he would have had to let her carry him again, or they would have never made it to the Forest, not with him in that state. He hated to depend on her like that, but at least, it would have probably been the last time. His gaze lingered for a moment on the brownish bag that Diane held in her hands. Merlin had put there a couple of vials filled with an almost transparent liquid and gave it to her, rapidly explaining how to dose King with it to make him sleep and not "slip into a several days coma or die". King had rolled his eyes hearing that – of course it wouldn't have been simple – but it had been relieving to finally have something real that could have helped him.

"So," Escanor's hesitant voice finally distracted King from his thoughts, and he glanced at the other man, who was walking next to them, sided by Gowther. He had decided to escort them to the city gates, after making sure that Merlin didn't need any help in whatever she was planning to do, and Gowther joined them too. If only King hadn't felt so exhausted he would have been happy to chat with them along the way, but like this, the best he could do was to listen. "How's going in the Fairy King's Forest? I mean," Escanor stuttered, looking away from King, a light blush on his cheeks, "except for this, uhm, problem."

King barely contained a sigh of frustration as Diane protruded from his side to smile at Escanor, "We are doing our best. Of course, there are still some ... contrasts," King didn't miss the way her eyes rapidly moved on him, but she avoided his gaze and returned her attention to their friend, "but we are working on it. It's already much better from the last time you come to visit! You should come again, you both should," she added with a large smile as she looked at Gowther. The doll slightly raised his head to look at her and smiled, but his eyes were blank, his mind probably lost in other thoughts.

"I'd be glad to come," Escanor murmured, a shy smile forming on his lips, "but I have the tavern to run … business is good! The city is finally returning to life, the population is increasing and sometimes even foreigners stop for a drink! Some nights there are so many clients that I couldn't do without Gowther's help." King nodded, the corners of his mouths barely rising. When Escanor had opened that place, a couple of months after the war, Camelot was still a bunch of houses under construction, the castle just a project, and it hadn't been easy. People were busy rebuilding their lives, and many citizens had simply chosen to move away since their city had been destroyed. At that time, Camelot hadn't been the right place to open a tavern, and Escanor knew it, of course he did – but Merlins was there, and so he had moved there too. Fortunately, Gowther had decided to stay in Camelot as well, and soon had joined Escanor in the administration of the tavern – at least there, he had stated more than once, eyes shining with amusement, he could work as a waitress without anyone complaining. "You should come to visit," Escanor continued, still smiling, "maybe when you will feel better, King – of course, it's on the house."

"I'd love to," Diane said softly, and King nodded, his mouth finally curving in a proper smile.

"I'd like that too. Thank you, Escanor."

The other man rubbed his neck, cheeks flushing for joy and his mouth opening as he wanted to say something else. Before he could, though, Gowther stopped abruptly, turning towards them. "King, wait."

King stopped too, feet still not touching the ground, and rapidly glanced at the hallway, but there wasn't a soul in sight – at least, they wouldn't have been in someone's way. His eyes then returned on the doll, and he lifted a brow, waiting for him to continue.

Gowther put a hand under his chin. "Before you said you can't remember well those dreams of yours," he slowly said, studying him from behind his glasses.

King shook his head, furrowing his brows. "I can't," he answered carefully – why was Gowther talking about those stupid dreams again? He had thought the discussion was over.

Gowther nodded slightly and kept his determined gaze on King as he spoke again, "I'm reasonably sure that I would be able to find them in your mind, if you want me to try."

King felt his blood running cold, his heart suddenly racing – how could he not think about it before? Of course, Gowther could have helped him with that. Next to him, Diane gasped and nodded enthusiastically, "That's a great idea! You really can do it?"

"It shouldn't be complicated," Gowther smiled, "they are a product of his mind, after all. I will find them."

For a moment, King's mind was blank. He barely registered the way Escanor was looking at them, confusion filling his eyes, without daring to ask, or the way Diane squeezed his hand as she asked, "Since we are here, we could try now ... Would it take long?"

Gowther shook his head, "No, it shouldn't, maybe a few minutes, but it – "

"You won't look into my mind," King hissed when he was finally able to speak again. He ignored the surprised gazes of the others, eyes fixed into Gowther's. "You won't do that."

"Harlequin …" Diane murmured, brows knitting, "what – "

"I won't if you don't want me too," Gowther said, tilting his head, eyes widening as he couldn't understand why King was acting like that, "but you know that I wouldn't look for anything else, King. I won't mess with your mind. I will just look for the dreams – "

"There is no need for that!" He snarled, "They are just dreams, nothing more!"

"I – if you say so, I won't insist," Gowther said, lowering his head. Even though he wasn't looking at him anymore, it was then that King noticed the hurt in his eyes – and realized exactly what he had said. He felt a sudden desire to punch himself – Gods, what was wrong with him?

He moved closer to Gowther, putting a hand on his shoulder. When the other raised his head to look at him again, he murmured, "I'm sorry. I know you are trying to help, and I thank you for that." He took a moment to breathe as he searched for the right words to explain himself. "I know I can trust you, Gowther, it's just ... I'm just too tired to think straight at the moment. I can handle the nightmares, for now, but if the continues I would appreciate your help. Before, though, I need to solve whatever is happening to the Sacred Tree."

Gowther was silent for a few seconds, lips pursed. Finally, his mouth twitched, corners quirking up a bit, and he nodded. "Alright, I understand. But if they don't stop, knowing what they are about could help you."

"I know," King sighed, "but right now, there are other things I have to take care of. If they continue, I will need your help." He squeezed his shoulder again before moving away, "Thank you, Gowther. I know I can rely on you."

"Of course!" Gowther made him a proper smile this time and King couldn't help but smile back, relief warming his heart.

During the rest of their walk, they kept talking about lighter topics – Escanor's plan for his tavern, mostly, and how he was thinking to expand the business. The atmosphere seemed relaxed, but King didn't miss the unsettled look in Diane's eyes when she looked at him. It made his gut clench, but at that moment, his head aching again, it seemed impossible to find the right words to reassure her. He would have shown her, though, once he had slept enough, once he had recovered, once he had returned to be what he was before. He would have made her understand that what had happened in the last few days – what he had said to her, how he had acted – it was nothing. Just ... a moment of weakness. That was all.

* * *

They said goodbye to Gowther and Escanor at the city's gate, with the promise to see each other soon. As he sat on Diane's hand, Merlin's bag clutched in his hands, King weakly waved at them, a last, forced smile on his lips. He kept looking at them as they moved away, the ground rising and carrying them under Diane's command. Their figures soon disappeared, as Camelot's contour, and at that time he finally let himself fall on Diane's hand, heaving a sigh. Her eyes were immediately on him, shining with apprehension, her lips moving slightly, but before she could formulate a question, he shook his head and managed to give her a weak half-smile. "I'm just tired," he said, loud enough so that the wind couldn't take away his words, and lifted the upper part of his body, leaning on the elbows, "I will be fine."

Diane nodded slowly, taking her hand closer to her face so she could whisper to him, "Do you want to take Merlin's elixir? We can stop for a moment. I wouldn't mind, and you need to sleep."

For a second King considered her offer; the idea of finally getting a few hours of sleep was extremely tempting, but in the end, he shook his head. "No, I want to be awake when we arrive at the Forest. I need to assure my Clan that I'm alright – and I want to explain what's happening at least to Gerheade. Then I'll sleep."

"I could do that, you know," Diane said, tilting her head, her gaze softening, "talking with Gerheade. You really look exhausted, Harlequin."

"I know," he groaned, passing a hand on his face, "but I need to do this. I don't want them to think that I'm too weak even to talk with them." He looked away and sighed, "I wouldn't want my people to see me like this, so … so messed up, they shouldn't have to see their king in this state. But I want to assure them that we will solve this, whatever it's about."

Diane's gentle touch on his cheek – her fingertip warm and soft against his skin – made him turn his head to look at her again, heart racing when he saw her reassuring smile. "You shouldn't worry about this, Harlequin. It's true, you are not in the best shape, but you can't hide your pain to your people. After all, you are not a God, it's normal to feel sick sometimes, even for a king."

"Fairies don't get sick," he grumbled as he leaned on her fingertip, caressing the joint of her thumb with his hands.

Diane rolled her eyes, "They don't, but they have their bad moments too – don't try to deny it, we've been together for centuries! Whatever is happening to you, it's not something you can control, and they'll understand that. It's okay if you are not always strong, Harlequin."

"Uhm," King grumbled, but he had to admit that her words were making him feel a bit better. Not completely, but he felt lighter as he curled up on her skin, Merlin's bag still sure on his lap. "I suppose you are right. It's just that I want them to feel safe," he sighed.

"And they are, this doesn't change that. Besides, they still have me," she grinned, "and I can crush whatever threat menaces the Forest, even without your help."

A feeble chuckle escaped his lips at the thought, almost surprising him – he didn't think he would have been able to laugh in a situation like that. "I know you can," he murmured, smiling at her, "I'm lucky to have such a strong wife."

Diane beamed at him before brushing once again his cheek and hair. "You see? Now, if you don't want to sleep, at least rest. You need it."

King nodded, murmuring a thank-you as he relaxed against her skin, finally shooting his heavy eyelids, grateful when she slightly closed her hand to shade him from the sunlight. He spent the rest of their trip laying there, barely registering the landscape changing and the movement of the sun, always on the edge of sleep but never really getting there. Yet, he didn't need to look to know when they approached the Forest – he felt it, almost as it was leaning towards him. Opening his eyes, he raised, putting his hands on the splints between Diane's fingers to look at the trees towering above them, relief filling his chest. They were home.

* * *

King left Diane's palm as soon as they reached the edge of the Forest, using all the energy he still had to float right next to her head. He straightened his spine and plastered a weak smile on his face, slightly waving at the Faires that popped out from between the trees. It was obvious that he was failing to reassure them – their worried gazes followed him and Diane as they moved forward in the wood, burning on his skin like flames.

Gerheade was the first one to approach them, joining them just a few minutes after their arrival. She appeared from the tree line and rapidly flew towards them, head tilted, her scepter tightly held in her hand. "Your Highnesses," she murmured, glancing at Diane and nodding her head; when her gaze returned on King, the mixture of anxiety and hope in her eye made hit him and made him hold his breath – he needed to reassure her, but he wasn't sure he would have been able to convince her. "Are you feeling better?" She asked nervously, "Did you figure out what happened?"

He breathed in and joined his hands behind his back – Gods, he hoped he didn't look too miserable. "Well, not exactly," he admitted, "but it's possible – well, likely – that whatever it is, it has to do with that … problem with the Sacred Tree you told me about."

Gerheade's eye widened and she nodded, crossing her arms across her chest. "It can be," she murmured, "you would be the first to be affected by something like that ... but it shouldn't be happening!" She pressed her lips together, shaking her head, "The Sacred Tree should be immune to diseases and no other magic came in contact with It, we would have noticed. Do you know what it could be, your Highness?"

"Oh, ehm," King swallowed, looking away, his cheeks warming, "I'm still not sure. It has been difficult examining It when I checked It."

"But we talked with Merlin!" Diane said, smiling reassuringly at the other woman, "She will come here and help Harlequin dealing with it! We are going to solve this, Gerheade."

King glanced at her, grateful, the shadow of a smile forming on his lips. "Yes," he continued, eyes returning on his counselor, "I will call her here soon – I just need some rest, before."

Gerheade stared at him, concern still lingering on her features, then she let out a sigh, her shoulders relaxing a bit. "I'm glad to hear that. This situation is new and it worries me –you worry me, your Highness. Do you think she will be able to help you?"

King nodded, forcing himself to hold her stare. "I know you are worried, and I'm sorry about that," he said, raising his hand to stop her when she shook her head and opened her mouth, "but we are going to solve this. Merlin is the greatest mage of all Britannia, she will be able to help us. Hopefully, this ... situation will end in a matter of days."

He held back a sigh of relief when Gerheade expression finally relaxed. "It's not your fault, we all know that," Gerheade quietly said, and her expression finally relaxed as she looked at him, "but I – we are worried for you. I just want to be sure that you will be alright."

"I – I will," he murmured, smiling reassuringly at her. "Everything will return back to normal soon."

* * *

King leaned his back on the hard trunk behind him, trying to get comfortable on the branch, eyes fixed on Diane's distant figure. She stood in the large clearing, a group of young Giants gathering around her as she showed them some dance steps. He was too far away to hear her words, but he had already assisted to some of her lessons – she was probably talking about how they were supposed to feel the ground under their feet as they danced, and he could almost imagine the gentle, fond sound of her voice. The corners of his mouth raised as he saw her take a step back and extemporize a move, her hair spreading in the air around her head as she twirled around; he couldn't see it, but it was easy to imagine the soft, little smile that curved her lips as she stopped. His own smile widened. Looking at her doing what she loved was always relaxing for that he should have been doing other things right now. King groaned at the thought, leaning his head against the wood, not even surprised by the dizziness that caught him after the movement, and even too tired to care. It had been almost two days since their meet with Merlin, and he already used her potion twice. It worked, of course, and he had finally slept more than five hours without waking up abruptly, shaking with fear and horror. Nothing changed, though. He kept feeling exhausted, both physically and mentally, and his magic … his gaze stopped on his hands resting on his lap and he grit his teeth. He was still weak, his wings just a shadow of what they have been before. That shouldn't have been happening! Normally, it wouldn't have taken so long to him to recover his whole magic – the only other time it had happened it had taken just a few hours! But there was nothing normal in that situation, it hadn't been since the moment he had woken up and found out his wings had changed. In his current condition, there was no way he could have called Merlin. He didn't want to. There was something in the idea of having her in his Forest that made his gut clench and his throat dry – he couldn't point out what exactly it was, though. Even though he couldn't tell he totally understand her, he trusted Merlin. She was his companion and friend. But she was _other_, and having her in the Fairy Realm, in front of the Sacred Tree – without him being able to do anything to stop her if it was needed, felt wrong. No, he wouldn't have called her, not today. He just needed some more time – just some more. A few more hours of sleep, those would have been enough.

Diane hadn't questioned him when he had avoided the subject that morning. She had glanced at him, lips pressed in a worried line, without saying a word about the matter. He hadn't been able to look into her anxious eyes, knowing that he was the one who was making her feel like that. Although he had avoided the discussion that morning, he knew she would have told him something about it, maybe that same evening, maybe the morning after, but she would have. And he didn't know how she would have explained to her that weird feeling that was devouring him from the inside.

King sighed, raising his hands to rub his temples. Why was everything so complicated? His eyes wandered over the leaves that surrounded him, then found Diane again. This time she stood still, observing the other Giants dancing around her; in his mind, he pictured the delighted look that was probably right now on her face – she loved to teach dance to her people when they asked her. It hadn't been easy to convince her to leave his side to do that, but after he had assured her for the third time that he could handle some time alone and promised that he would rest and try to recover, she had decided to go, and he was glad she had. She needed some distraction from what he was making her passing through. Pressing his lips in a hard line, he lowered his gaze, shame burning in his chest. Everyone was worried for him, and he hated to make the people he cared about and wanted to protect feeling like this.

With a snort, he raised his head again, and it was then, as he looked for Diane, that he saw him, passing just a few yards by the tree King was. The Fairy King snorted, rolling his eyes, and put his hands on the wood to hang out and take a better look. Gonf was walking rapidly through the trees, and it was evident that he was headed for Diane's small group. King gritted his teeth and his mind went blank as he took flight. He had no idea what Gonf had in mind – the little magic he still had didn't allow him to read hearts – but he was sure that whatever it was, it would have upset Diane, it always did, and he wouldn't have let him do that, not when she was having finally a peaceful moment. Even with his tiredness, it didn't take more than a few seconds to him to reach the Giant and float in front of them, blocking their way. Gonf stopped as he saw him, brows slightly furrowing but his expression determined. King didn't flinch, cold stare fixed on the Giant as he tilted his head before speaking, his voice emotionless, "The queen is busy right now, you shouldn't disturb her. Maybe," he added, crossing his arms, "you can return later, if it's something important."

Gonf stared at him, dark eyes narrowing and lips pursing. "I don't respond to you, Fairy King," he said, his voice sounding like a low growl, "you have no authority over my Clan."

"Don't I?" King raised a brow, putting a hand under his chin, "Yet, you live in my Forest, and your queen is my spouse. To me, it looks like I have all the rights to demand that you don't disturb her when she is obviously occupied."

"She is _dancing_," Gonf snarled, speaking the last word as it was a swear, his hard stare moving on a point behind King's back – on Diane, he assumed. "It's not something the Giant ruler should do in the first place if not to fight. And the fact that she sleeps with you doesn't give you any power over us." His eyes returned on King, wandering over his figure with a look that was a mix of contempt and derision, "I won't accept any order from such a weak little thing."

King felt his cheeks burning, flush creeping on his neck for the rage, jaw clenching. How dared this fool, worthless Giant speak to him like this? And the awareness that he wouldn't have dared to act like that not even two days before made him want to scream. It wasn't easy to keep his voice low and _almost_ controlled as he said, clenched fists and eyes narrow, "I'll warn you one more time. Go away and leave the queen alone."

"Or what?" The Giant let out a snort that sounded almost like derisory laughter. "You are not my ruler, and I'm not afraid of you."

Before he could even think about what he was doing, King's hand had raised – _he had enough. _If the only thing this Giant understood was violence, that was what he would have shown him. Nothing too complicated, maybe just a couple of punches from Guardian would have worked, or a not too deep wound from his spear – Diane surely didn't want him to kill him and the last thing he wished was to disappoint her again. Lost in his thoughts, it took him a few moments to realize that even though he was using all the magic he had left, nothing was happening.

Gonf lifted his eyebrows, probably not understanding what was the meaning of his sudden movement, but King barely looked at him, his horrified eyes moving on his own hand. Again, he tried to use his magic to summon his spear. Again, Chastiefol didn't come.

He was too weak to use it.


	6. Chapter 6: Following the call

_**A/N**_: Late once again, but here is the chapter! I'm so excited to share this, the plot is progressing and finally, some things are revealed ... I hope you'll enjoy it!

The amazing art is as always by Redworld96, she made the cover and also a character design for Gonf taking inspiration from one of the Giants who were shown in the anime! You can find it here. Please, go check her art, it's wonderful!

Thanks to Trig for being a great beta reader and to everyone who left kudos and comments, I appreciate them so much!

* * *

**Chapter VI: Following the call **

The world around King had vanished in a blurred mass, his gaze still on his raised hand, his eyes seeing nothing. It didn't matter how hard he tried, how carefully he gathered every single drop of magic he still owned, his Spear didn't show up. He had lost it, he realized, his breath becoming rapid and hectic, he had lost the ability to call it, to use it, to _feel _it. It had happened only once before – he shivered at the memory of how useless he had felt, not even being able to defend the persons he loved – and because of that, Oslo had died. But at that time, he had been under the effect of the Commandment of Reticence, his magic had been sealed. This … this felt different, like his magic was constantly drained, even though he was using only the minimum needed to float, without having the chance to reform as it should have been. It was senseless. Inexplicable. Terrifying.

It was Gonf's annoyed voice that dragged him back to reality, after moments that felt like hours. "If you don't have anything else to say, Fairy," the Giant jeered, his lips forming something that looked like a crooked smile when King turned towards him, "I'm going to talk with the Giant Queen."

King blinked, his mind still unfocused, realizing what the Giant had said only when he moved away, passing by him like he was nothing more than an insignificant fly. Rage ignited in his chest and disrupted his breath, making his mind work again – it shouldn't have felt _so good _, like breathing in again for the first time after a long apnoea, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Rage, at least, was better than fear. He turned his head towards Gonf, eyes narrowing; he was painfully aware he was in no condition to fight a Giant warrior, but he wouldn't have let him bother Diane, he wouldn't have let him win. In the blink of an eye, he was again in Gonf's way, gritting his teeth as he tried to hide his shortness of breath – Goddesses, he had flown just a few yards! "You won't disturb her," he hissed, glaring at the other man, "I won't let you do it."

This time the spark of mockery was clear in the Giant's dark eyes. "How do you think you'll stop me, Fairy?" His smile was larger this time, exposing his teeth, and that sight, even more of the derisive tone, was enough to make King snap.

His reaction was not as fast as King hoped it to be, but when the stone hit the left side of Gonf's head he can't stop a satisfied sigh – his heart raced and he was panting, his head pounding for the excessive use of magic, but he made it. The rock fell on the ground, rolling a few feet from the Giant; it wasn't big, not enough to really hurt him, but King was aware he couldn't have lifted a heavier one. He didn't have enough magic to do that. Gonf was still for a second, his head slightly turned from the blow. He lifted his hand to reach his temple, wiping away the blood, drawing a trail of dark red on his olive skin. His eyes found King, his pupils constricted to pinpoints, his nostrils flared; the Fairy King looked back, making an effort to keep his arms at his side as he waited for the Giant to react. Part of him hoped that he would have simply let it go and pulled back, but even though he had lost his ability to read hearts, he knew this wouldn't have happened. And deep inside, he couldn't help but yearn for the occasion to put that arrogant idiot at his place.

When the Giant finally spoke, his voice was low, shaking for anger. "You shouldn't have done this, Fairy," he snarled, clenching his jaw. "But maybe after I finish with you, the Giant Queen will finally realize exactly what kind of travesty she got herself into."

King didn't waste time replying, enjoying the feeling of burning rage spreading in his chest. A quick wave of his hand and another rock lifted from the ground, but this time, the Giant was ready. The stone went to pieces when it hit his side, his flesh had already turned into lustreless metal. Gonf grinned as he bent down to reach the ground with the palm of his hand, keeping his eyes on King. The Fairy gasped, mindlessly shifting aside just a split second before a large pillar of rock raised from the ground, passing through the air exactly where he had been just prior. It was a luck he had spent so long training with Diane and he had been able to anticipate his move. If he hadn't … King's eyes darted to Gonf, meeting his hard stare. The Giant narrowed his eyes, and once again, the Fairy moved away just in time to avoid another pillar, its surface almost brushing against his legs. As he kept flying as fast as he could – he wasn't going to give the Giant the chance to guess his next location, that was sure – King gritted his teeth, focusing on his magic. His heart raced when he realized how fast it was draining; he had to finish this, and quickly. Maybe if he was able to knock him out … This time, a long branch was what lifted in the hair and hit Gonf on the back of his head. The Giant grunted, his head pushed forward, but he didn't look away from King. The Fairy hissed in frustration, glancing at the ground when the earth trembled and something new raised from it – not as large as the other pillars, this looked more like a spike, its tip pointy and sharp, the metallic surface shining under the sunlight. He pulled back just in time, lungs aching and head spinning as he stopped to catch his breath. That was a mistake. He noticed something move in his peripheral vision – another one of those metal spikes, he realized as he slightly turned his head. It was too fast, he had to –

Before he could do anything, a thick earthen wall emerged from the ground, shielding his vision. He heard the spike hitting it with a scrape, halted by the hard surface of rock; then, the whole wall bended back on itself, joining the ground again and taking what was left of Gonf's attack with it. King's eyes remained forward, his body still in the air as he let out a sigh of relief – that was close, but he turned around as soon as he realizes what had happened, his heart skipping a beat. How could have missed out his wife? Diane stood there, a short distance from them, arms crossed across her chest and her eyes narrowed in an expression of fury. Behind her, distant enough not to be involved, King met the curious stares of the small group of Giants she was teaching; they had probably followed her when she had gotten closer – oh Gods, King swallowed, how long she had been watching at them? He barely registered Gonf quickly standing up, his eyes were fixed on Diane – he couldn't look away. He opened his mouth, but her name didn't make in time to leave his lips before she snapped, her eyes darting from the Fairy to the Giant. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I," King breathed, but he found himself unable to continue, speechless under the weight of her violet stare.

Oh Gods, _how could he explain it _? She just caught him fighting against one of her Clan, and for something that, he realized, she would have found silly. Before he could find the right words to explain to her what had happened, Gonf took a step towards her, crossing his arms. "I was coming to talk with you, Giant Queen," he said, his voice firm and confident, loud enough to resonate in the clearing – he wanted the other Giants to hear as well. "I needed to discuss some issues about our clans, but your … your lover threatened me and tried to stop me."

King inhaled sharply, turning towards the male Giant as he growled, "This is not – I didn't threaten you! Diane," he looked again at his wife, who was staring at them, her expression unreadable, "I didn't mean to start a fight but … you were busy! And he – he wanted to interrupt you! I simply told him to wait!"

"He attacked me!" Gonf hissed, raising his hand to move his hair from his forehead, showing the thin cut he had gotten when the first rock had hit him. "Giant Queen, you can't allow someone from another Clan to treat you people like this, you have to – "

"What I will do," Diane cut him off, glaring at him, "is discuss this accident with my husband, and then decide what to do. Now, you can leave us. I will talk with you later."

"You can't – "

"I can. Or did you want to inform me about an immediate danger for our Clans?" She added, raising a brow.

Gonf blinked, caught off guard, "No, but you – "

"Then it can wait," Diane's voice was calm but firm, her eyes hard on the Giant. Gonf closed his mouth, and again that spark of anger and hatred emerged in his eyes, making King want to hit him, to make him bow his head and fall on his knees, until he would have never dared to look at Diane like that again – _never _. Then the man nodded, pressing his lips together with too much strength that the skin turned pale; he moved away, ignoring the other Giants who were still observing the scene, silent. Diane's eyes followed him just for a second before pointing on King, and he swallowed noticing that her gaze was hard as before. "Now," she said, "we have to talk."

* * *

King slowly floated after Diane, following her between the trees, relieved when they finally found themselves alone and nervous at the same time, his heart frantically banging against his ribcage. Her noticeably stiffen body, the too loud sound that her feet made when she took a step, the fact that she hadn't turned away to look at him, not yet … everything told him that she was furious. It was … new. She had been angry him, before – Gods, they had fought just a few days before! – but this time, it felt worse. King breathed in, fiddling with his fingers as he tried desperately to clear his mind and decide how he would have explained to her what had happened with Gonf. The weight of his actions had hit him as soon as his rage had faded – it was obvious that attacking the Giant like that, in his condition, had been foolish. Although it was humiliating, he had to admit at least to himself that he wouldn't have won that fight, not likely. And yet he couldn't take himself to regret it – _he deserved it, the damned Giant. _He mumbled, shaking his head - no, he didn't regret attacking him. He regretted not having been able to defeat him immediately, not having struck faster, harder, maybe using something sharper than a rock, or ... He didn't notice that Diane had stopped until she turned towards him, arms crossed across her chest; he blinked, raising his head to meet her glowering eyes, just a few feet from him. Gulping, he backed up, joining his hands behind his back and managed to mutter something that vaguely sounded like her name. She didn't let him the chance to articulate much more.

"What were you thinking?" She snapped, leaning towards him, her nostrils flaring, "You are in no condition to challenge anyone, let alone a Giant warrior! Why did you even approach Gonf of all people? You know how he is – that he would have fought back!"

"He was going to join you!" King finally argued, putting his arms on his side as he clenched his fits, ignoring the sudden stings on his palms. "I didn't mean to attack him, I've just … I've just tried to stop him! But he wouldn't listen, and I couldn't let him disturb you."

"Of course he wouldn't listen!" Diane glared at him, furrowing her brows, "He never listens to anyone! And you know that I'm perfectly able to deal with him! Goddesses, you should have simply _let it go _."

"I know you can," he held her gaze, nails digging further in the soft skin of his hands, "but I couldn't let him bother you! It was the first time in days that you took a moment for yourself, and you – you looked happy." He loosened his grip, looking away. "I didn't want anything to ruin this to you."

After a moment of silence, he heard Diane letting out a sigh. "Harlequin," she quietly said, taking a step towards him, her gaze softened when King turned his head to look at her. "It was sweet of you, but you don't have to worry about me, not now. You have to think about yourself first – and you can't challenge a Giant in this condition, especially not one like Gonf." She pressed her lips in a line, a look of anguish and fear in her eyes, "Goddesses, what were you doing? What if I didn't interrupt you in time? What if he had hit you, hurt you – or even killed you!"

In a moment King was next to her, a hand on her cheek, desperately trying to comfort her, to make her feel that nothing had happened, that everything was fine. "I'm sorry, Diane, I'm so sorry," he murmured, as he brushed her skin, "You are right, I should have known." He really should have had, he thought, feeling a twinge in his stomach; it had been rushed, attacking Gonf like that, he could have got himself killed. But at that time, it had felt like the only way. "I didn't think clearly, I was so angry," he quietly explained, clenching his jaw when Gonf's smug expression returned to his mind. "The way he spoke to me … he would have never dared to do so before!"

"And I'll make sure that he won't, never again." Diane raised a hand to cup him in her palm, her gaze reassuring but a spark of irritation in her voice. "Not after I'll talk to him! I don't care who started it, he can't attack you that way. If one of those spikes had hit you, he could have killed you! I can't let this slide."

"What will you do?" King tilted his head as he leaned his back against her fingers.

Diane sighed, "I don't know, there are not many ways I can punish him. I don't want to fight him, but if he keeps like that, I won't have any other choices that show him again who's in charge." She pursed her lips, playing with her hair, "I could find a way to keep him busy, some pointless task that will keep him away from the others."

"You won't make him stop like that." King shook his head, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows, "He despises me and my Clan, and being defeated by you won't change his mind. I should have taken care of him when I had the chance."

Diane raised a brow as she looked at him suspiciously. "And what's that supposed to mean?" She asked, a note of irritation again in her voice.

King shrugged, holding her stare. "I told you before, we can't allow people like him around us. A moment of fragility and they will stab us in the back. Do you understand that I _can't _let him stay in the Forest after what happened?"

"You want to drive him out?" Diane widened her eyes, then she leaned towards him, hands on her hips, a flush creeping on her cheeks as she her jaw tightened. "You can't send my people away like that!" She shouted, "And even though he should have listened to you, you attacked him! We have at least try to solve this in another way."

"I can send him away," he growled, "I'm the king of this Forest, Diane, and he tried to kill me! I can't let him behave like that, and it's my duty to keep the Fairy Clan safe. I can't allow people like him here."

She glared at him, her eyes narrow. "The Fairy Clan is safe! You know my people won't harm them, most of them are happy to be here! And I can handle the others."

"You can't always look after them. Fairies are not resistant as Giants, if one of them decides to attack them for whatever reason, there will be victims before one of us can even think about reacting." The only thought made him sick. He had seen his people dying from the hands of a monster way to big and strong for them, and he wouldn't have let this happening again. "I don't want to take the risk."

"So what? I should just send Gonf away with the ones who think like him? Living alone, letting people use their bodies as weapons to survive? They'll be dead in a few years!" Diane shook her head, the skin of her knuckles paling as she clenched her fists, "I'm responsible for the Giants as you are for the Fairies, and I won't let them return to that kind of life. Not even if you ask me."

"You wouldn't have to send them away, Diane," he softly answered, looking at her with sympathy, "I wouldn't want you to feel responsible for what will happen to them. I would."

She gaped at him, her eyes wide and shocked. "You really think that you can make things better sending them away at my place?"

"If it helps to make you feel better about it – "

"It won't!" She blurted out, her expression hardening, "You know what will happen to them if you sent them away, and you would do it anyway? You would sentence them to death!"

"I'll do what I have to do to protect my people," he answered, voice calm but firm; he frowned – why didn't she see that? He didn't want to fight her, he was just trying to do what was right, and keeping uncontrollable Giants around his Fairies was definitely not right.

Something that looked like horror crossed her face, her features paling, but she didn't look away, her eyes hard with determination. "Do you even listen to what you are saying? It's insane, I won't let you do such a thing! Goddesses," she took a deep breath, passing a hand on her face, "this is not you, Harlequin! You would never do something like that! You have acted differently for weeks, can't you see it? Whatever it's happening to you, it's changing you."

"This," he hissed, backing up but not looking away, "has nothing to do with my – my problem. I'm just speaking the truth, it's not my fault if you can't see it!"

Diane opened her mouth, then she closed it, shaking her head. "You know what? I don't care if you want to wait, we are calling Merlin now! We need to solve this."

"We are not calling Merlin," King yelled. He furiously slapped his wings as he gritted his teeth, "You are a fool if you think I'll let her enter the holiest place of my kingdom!"

She clenched her jaw, eyes blazing with hurt and anger, but she seemed to hold back as she hissed, "You are the one who asked for her help! You know it's our best option!"

"That was before I realized I was so weak that I couldn't even defeat a stupid Giant." King snorted, mouth set in a hard line as he shook his head. "I can't allow anyone to get near to the Sacred Tree, not if I can't defend it."

"So what you will do?" Diane exploded, raising her hands to the sky, "You will just let this – this sickness consuming you until … we don't even know what will happen to you! You can't ignore this!"

"I am not ignoring the problem! I want to fix this more than anyone else, and you know that! I'm just …" He shrugged, shifting in the air, "I'm just waiting for a better moment."

"And what if it doesn't come?" She stopped to catch her breath, her voice coming out lower when she spoke again, "What if it just gets worse?"

"Then I'll find another solution!" He hurried to reassure her, "You have to trust me."

Diane studied him for a moment, her mouth pressed so tightly that her lips paled. "I do want to trust you, Harlequin, but it's clear that you are not thinking straight. You need help."

"I – I can do this," he defended, "I will check the Sacred Tree again and I will find a way to solve whatever is happening and – "

She snorted, "You weren't able to do anything before, why this tie should be different? Why can't you just accept Merlin's help?"

"Because," he snapped, "I don't trust her! I won't let her enter the Fairy Realm!"

"I thought you trusted your friends!" Diane growled, shaking her head, "You have to let us help you!"

"You can't force me to let her in!"

Diane fell silent, holding his stare, eyes still glowing for rage. "I thought," she shot, "that you'd learn not to do everything on your own. What's next, you'll take my memories away again so that you won't have to bother with me?"

King hold his breath and blinked, left wordless for a moment, his blood running cold. It felt like she had just slapped him on the face. "That – that was different! You know I would never do such a thing!"

She looked away, biting her lip. King gasped as he noticed the way her eyes glistened. "After what you said, I'm not sure I know anymore," she whispered, finally.

He stared at her, eyes wide; when his lungs started to hurt he finally breathed in, but it didn't smoothen him, his ribcage feeling heavy and stiff. How could she think that? He swallowed, his head started spinning again. How could she think that he would have done such a thing to her again? After everything they had passed? It hurt, it hurt as he had never thought it would have. And all of this, he realized with horror, all of this was his doing. "I," he finally muttered as he pulled back, almost stumbling in the air "I need a moment."

He made in time to see Diane raising her eyes, a hint of regret in her violet irises, but he didn't want to her the chance to talk again – to stop him. He turned away, flying between the branches as fast as he could, not even knowing where to go.

She didn't come after him.

* * *

It had happened again. King shut his eyes closed and ran his hands through his hair as he flew, rapidly tracing a series of circles in the air. He had hurt Diane, _again _. He stopped abruptly, letting out a cry of rage and frustration that had the only effect of scaring some near birds – he heard the rustle of leaves when they made their way through the fronds to leave. It didn't make him feel any better. Why did it feel like he couldn't control himself anymore? Of course talking like that about her Clan would have upset her, and he should have been able to hold back, it didn't matter he had told the truth. Those Giants where dangerous – they _all _were dangerous, and he really shouldn't have had allowed them all in his Forest without thinking about the consequences. Why couldn't Diane see that he had no choice, that he couldn't let _others _in – not only those Giants, the humans too, and Merlin and all the ones who could have been a threat for his people.

King raised his hands to cover his face as he tried to slow his heavy breath. His head felt dizzy, blank and packed at the same time, his thoughts twisting and tangling. It was madness. He _knew _that wasn't true. He had learned better than to judge people only by their Clans – he had met them all, he had friends in each of them, friends he trusted. Merlin included. So why did it suddenly feel so difficult to remember that? He couldn't be like this. He had to let Merlin help him, no matter how uncomfortable the idea made him feel, and he had to push back those foolish thoughts. They were just lies driven by fear, and he couldn't let them influence him, _he couldn't. _

Yet ...

_Fairy blood stains his hands as he lifts the wingless body, its lifeless eyes fixed into the sky, and it's humans' doing – he saw them hurting his friends, ripping their wings, blinded by their insane greed._

Yet. _The last trees of the Forest stand around him, black and dry; the fire took every drop of life from them, and he almost doesn't recognize the place where he grew up. He doesn't know, not yet, but later he'll learn that a Demon did that, for no reason at all if not its bloodlust._

Yet. _He is hiding between the leaves, holding his breath, his hands grabbed onto a branch so tight that it starts to hurt. His body is frozen in terror, and he can only watch one of the two Giants lifting his friend. She screams, writhing, but she looks so tiny and fragile in his large hand, the dagger she holds just a pin when she tries to stab the enormous thumb. "She is one of the nasty ones, right?" The Giant asks, observing the fragile Fairy and not minding at all her fighting._

_The other shrugs as he glares at the tiny creature, "Just look at her, you can see the difference. And by the way they attacked us, it's definitely them." _

_"Good," the other male nods, his eyes never leaving his prisoner. "It won't be a problem, then." _

_She shouts louder when he starts squeezing, her face reddening; she lets the dagger fall and just screams and screams until –_

_No _. King inhaled sharply and blinked, hands still covering his face. That, whatever it was, had never happened, he was sure it hadn't. Or … or maybe it had, but not to him. Whoever had watched that Giant crashing a Fairy in his hand, it wasn't him – he had never even seen a Giant before meeting Diane! But then, why he had those ... those images, those memories in his head? He gritted his teeth as he rubbed his temples, his head starting to pound and ache. Diane was right. Something was wrong with him, with his mind, in the last few weeks, he had known that, but still, he didn't understand what –

His eyes widened as he froze, memories flowing into his mind – almost as they had always been there, at his fingertips, as he just didn't want to reach out and grab them. _The tree. _It had been the tree. He was almost surprised by the absolute certainty that went with that realization, but he couldn't doubt it. He didn't know what that thing had done to him when he had touched its wood, but it had to be – _it was _– the reason he felt so strange lately, the source of the thoughts and the dreams that tormented him. It was what had drained and still was draining his magic. Rage burned in King's lungs and he straightened his spine, head turning Southwards, towards that dead land where he had found the tree. It couldn't be true, but it was like he could feel it, a mass of dark, twisted wood and ill leaves, lurking in the darkness under the ground and calling him without a voice. The tree had done that to him, it was the reason for everything he had done. But now, now that he knew, it was over. King clenched his fists as he used all his energy to hurtle through the air, ignoring the reasonable part of his mind that was telling him to look for help, not to go alone in that place again. He had already tried, to ask for help, and every time he hadn't been able even to remember what he wanted to say – now that he knew, he could see that clearly. Now that he held his memories tight between his fingers, he wouldn't have taken the risk to lose them again. No, he would have done this on his own. By nightfall, he would have put an end to that folly. Whatever it took.

* * *

The last time it had taken him less than an hour to reach the border, and he hadn't even tried to be fast, enjoying his flight and the sight of morning sun shining on the leaves and petals. He didn't know how long it took this time, he was too focused on not letting the exhaustion take over him and drag him to the ground, but when he finally emerged from the edge of the Forest, the sun was low on the horizon, spreading its warm orange light on the foliage of the trees and the dark soil. As soon as he left the last flourishing plants behind him, King landed, his knees almost buckling under his weight; he stumbled, out of breath, but managed to keep his balance. Hands on his kneecaps and his back bent, he raised his head just enough to cast his gaze over the wasteland that opened in front of him. It hadn't changed a bit since a few weeks before, of course, the same dry, too dark land extending in the distance, the skeletal trees casting long, tangled shadows by the light of the dying sun. They seemed to reach out for him, like emaciated fingers wanting to grab him and never let him go, dragging him in the recondite depths of that gods-forsaken place. King breathed in and slowly raised, his head still heavy from exhaustion. Now that he was there, he could feel the presence of the tree even stronger, somewhere in the distance, right in front of him. And once again, it was calling him. This time, though, it wasn't the desperate call of help what had so much anguished him a few weeks before; this time, it was a chant without voice, alluring and hypnotising, inviting him to continue. _Come _, it seemed to whisper in the cooling air of the falling night, _come. _King snorted before finally stepping forward, slowly venturing into the dying wood. If the tree wanted him to come, he would have come. He almost stopped walking when the thought that following the will of that thing, after everything it had done to him, was the last thing he should have done. He should have gone back, asking for someone's help – Diane, Gerheade, Merlin ... anyone, but he couldn't go there alone, not again. Then, a stabbing pain crossed his head, making him shut his eyes and groan, his hand reaching for his forehead. When he opened his eyes again, he stared straight ahead, exactly where he knew the tree was waiting for him. He gritted his teeth, eyes glowing with determination as he stepped forward, again and again, advancing between the trees. The time for games was over, he wouldn't have left that thing playing with him any longer.

He didn't remember exactly where the entry of the cave had been, and the slow falling of the darkness made it difficult to see to his tired eyes, and yet he proceeded with confidence, never stopping to look around. He _knew _where the tree was. It kept pulling him, luring him, its call echoing strong and clear, not in his ears but his mind. _Come _, it murmured, driving him right to the breach that he had made in the ground, _Come _. King stopped right before the cover of leaves that he had left above the crack, the dark material almost invisible to his gaze; he would have missed it if he hadn't known it was there. No one had visited that place since him, apparently. King let out a sigh of relief and bent down to grab the soft fabric – at least, he wouldn't have had to worry about other people being affected by his same illness. Pitch black stared back at him when he lifted it, and once again the awareness that he shouldn't have been there, not alone, took over him. He swallowed, but he couldn't look away from the hole in the ground, nor, he realized, he could move away. There was no choice for him, not anymore, he would have faced the tree and he would have done it now. Clenching his jaw, rage rapidly replacing doubt, he advanced and let himself fall into the darkness.

As soon as he was in the cave, he was blind. The weak light coming in through the crack was only enough to illuminate part of the ceiling and the long vines that hang from it – where they so long the last time he had been there? He didn't remember. There were no walls in sight, no floor, making him feel like he was lost in an infinity of blackness. King clenched his hands as he thought about how stupidly easily had been to use Chastiefol the time before; now, the only thing he could do was sinking in the darkness, slowly descending towards the ground, or where he supposed the ground was. He could still feel the tree, though, right in front of him, hiding in the pitch black of its lair. It felt like it was observing him with hundreds of eyes, patiently waiting for him to get closer, the low whisper of its call echoing around him. Yet, he kept seeing nothing, his eyes unable to get accustomed to the dark. It didn't matter, he thought as his feet finally touched the soft ground; he didn't need to see the tree to – to do what he had to. He hesitated just a second, realizing that he didn't really know what to do with the tree now that he was there, but he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. He would have done what was necessary to stop whatever it was doing to him, even destroying it – and he was ready to use all the magic he had left to make sure he succeeded. Carefully at first, then faster, impatiently, he advanced into the darkness, his feet stumbling over the roots. Suddenly, he found himself hissing in the dark, gaze fixed where the tree waited, "What are you?"

It didn't answer, of course, yet maybe it heard him because the call became stronger, more alluring. _Come _, it chanted, a soft caress to his mind, _Come, my king _.

King almost fell on the ground as his foot tipped, but he recovered the balance and kept going, this time yelling out, anger twisting his voice, "What are you? What do you want from me?"

The call continued exactly like before, but something changed in the air, and King felt it whisper in his mind, feeble like the wind whistling, _I'm power, and I'm freedom. I'm vengeance, for the ones who were unfairly slaughtered. And I need you, king of the Fairies._

"Why?" King asked the darkness, "Why me? What do you want?"

No answer came for him this time. King gritted his teeth as he started to climb on bigger, thicker roots. Even though he still couldn't see, he knew he was getting closer, the tree was just right in front of him, almost at his fingertips. He hated not being able to look at it, but there was nothing he could do about it, his scarce magic useless before the lack of light. A tree beneath the ground ... King slightly shook his head. He should have understood immediately that it wasn't something he could face carelessly. Gods, he shouldn't have touched it in the first place! And he shouldn't be there again, trying to reach it, to touch it once again. But he couldn't avoid it. He wanted – he _needed _to touch it again, to ... to destroy it. It had to be that.

King stopped to catch his breath, leaning on the wood of the roots, then raised, facing the pitch black in front of him. The tree was there, he _felt _it, as he still felt his call, stronger than ever. He just had to reach out for it. Yet, King hesitated, his hand raising but stopping at midair. A tree under the earth, he thought again, and then he blinked as _something _raised to the surface of his mind. It wasn't a surprise he hadn't thought about it before, it was so old, almost a ghost in memory – he hadn't been the Fairy King very long, at the time, Helbram was still alive and his best friend and everything had seemed so clear and easy. But now ... now he remembered about the tree under the earth. Gerheade had told him about it, more than once, though she had never liked to talk about it. She used to say that there was no need to speak of something so long ended and forgotten, but that he was the king of Fairies and that it was his right and duty to know and to learn about the past of his Clan. What did she use to say? King squeezed his eyes, his arm raising a little more.

_Come _, the tree whispered again, _Closer, _and he couldn't stop his hand to wander in the darkness, his fingers extending to find the wood. His mind was focused on Gerheade though, on the way the sunlight shined on her hair as she sat on the branch of a tree, hands on her lap, an afternoon of many centuries ago. He was sitting in front of her, between the leaves, and Helbram was there too, cross-legged next to him, as well as a bunch of other young fairies that wanted to hear the story. He remembered the way Gerheade had looked at him – her eye filled with seriousness and a sort of sadness, before softly beginning, "Once, before the war against the Demon, even before the Fairies had a king, there were two trees."

When his hand stopped, King could almost feel the coldness of the bark under his fingertips, the air around his skin almost electric from the magic impregnating it. The tree was there, waiting for him to finally place his hand on it – and even though he knew that he shouldn't have had, he couldn't take his hand away. Could it really be it? The one his counselor had told him was burned to the ground? "The Sacred Tree," he remembered Gerheade explaining them, her arm rising as she waved at the enormous plant above them, "the one that gives us life. And," she continued, after a pause, "the other tree. The one that lived under the earth. The one that gave birth to the _others _." She had never called them anything else than _the others _, and yet it was obvious that even though she didn't want to say it, they were Fairies. "The other tree was as powerful and huge as the Sacred Tree, and at the same time, it was completely different. It was ... it was wrong. Corrupted." She shrugged, her eye wandering on the leafy branches spreading around her. "Someone even called it _cursed _. And the others, into whose veins coursed its contaminated magic, were as wrong as it was. That's why," her determined gaze found King again, brow slightly furrowed, "we had to destroy them."

Eyes wide in the darkness, King stood still for a long moment, an inch from something that should have been died long before. Then it called him again, a soft yet commanding _There _whiffling in his head. He couldn't stop it. Like a fly succumbing the desire to sink into the flame, King moved his hand, the palm pressing against the wood. The call ceased and silence suddenly fell on the cave. King inhaled sharply, the rough surface of the trunk making him realize what he had done, but no other thought made it in time to form in his mind as the pain started. It spread from his hand, coursing through his veins, feeling like his own blood had turned into flames. In a moment his whole body was burning and the only thing he could do was to cry out, his screams turning into twisted echoes against the walls of the cave. King had never felt anything like this before – he had known pain, he was wounded and burned so many times that he lost count. But this hurt, it hurt so much, like every single cell of his body was stretching, contracting, tearing his whole being apart. He tried desperately to pull his hand away, but he couldn't, his flesh connected to the bark as it had become part of the tree. Falling on his knees, King closed his eyes shut, and kept yelling until his throat was sore and his voice was gone, until he stopped fighting and collapsed against the trunk.

The fire didn't stop consuming him.


	7. Chapter 7: Where is the king?

**_A/N_**: I didn't mean this chapter to take so long and I'm sorry, but at least, here it is, I hope it was worth it. Once again, thanks to Redworld96, who made another amazing cover for the chapter and is so inspiring and helpful! I recommend you to check her works, she is a wonderful artist as well as a great friend. Especially since it's not easy to post pictures on . And thanks to Trig, who beta read this chapter and is another amazing friend. Thanks also to the ones who still read this story and leave lovely comments or simply are enjoying this!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter VII: Where is the king?**

The light air displacement was more than enough to wake him up. In a moment Ban found himself sitting on the bed, his eyes wide open and scanning the room as he reached for Elaine. His hand found nothing more than the still warm, entangled sheets, but his gaze had already met her minute shape, floating over the floor in the centre of the tiny room. She was turning her back to him and he couldn't see her features, only her shoulders rapidly rising and dropping as the frantic rhythm of her breath filled the room. Her wings followed the movements of her back, trembling, the moonlight flickering on their soft texture. One of her hands sank in her hair as she turned toward the window, a soft gasp escaping her throat. Ban rapidly explored the rest of the room as he moved to get out of bed, but as he already suspected, there was no one else. Everything was alright. Except for the fact that Elaine was awake in the middle of the night, obviously not feeling alright at all. He sighed, his heartbeat already getting slower as he passed a hand on his face and reached his love, his hand brushing her shoulder gently before he pulled her body towards him. It wouldn't have been the first time Elaine woke up so suddenly because of a nightmare, and considering how unsettled she had felt in the last few days, it wouldn't have been a surprise. "Elaine," he whispered, close to her ear, as he slowly caressed her shoulder and back, "what's wrong?"

Elaine gasped and turned abruptly, her golden eyes wide and terrified when they met his stare, her skin so pale that it seemed to shine with its own light, making her look like a ghost. Ban felt his breath blocking in his throat at the thought, grateful when she raised her hands to cup her face and he could feel the warmth of her skin. "Something happened. Something bad." Even her voice was feeble and shaking, at the point that he could barely hear her words. She abruptly moved away, escaping his grip, and in a moment her bag was in her hands as she flew around the room to collect her things. "We have to go," she explained, her voice still no more than a hurried murmur, "we have to come back."

"Elaine, wait," Ban furrowed his brows and reached for her once more, grabbing her wrist to stop her and bring her closer to him. "What's happening?" He asked once she looked at him one more time, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she sobbed, shaking her head, "I don't know what it is, but there is something wrong with the Sacred Tree. It … It is calling me, and it had never happened before. It's - It's _bad _, Ban. We have to go."

_Calling her, uh? _That was new. But he couldn't doubt it was something serious, not while seeing her so shaken. "Alright," he said, squeezing her hands before letting her go, "We are going."

He lifted his hand, his bag drew against his palm by the power of Snatch. Elaine nodded, looking a bit more collected, though her hands were still slightly shaking when she raised them, her belongings lifting in the air under the control of her magic. Ban smirked, turning around as he took care of his baggage. After two years spent wandering around the country, finally enjoying their freedom, they had gotten good at this.

They were in the street in a matter of minutes, the owner of the inn where they had stayed in the last couple of days woken up - he didn't seem happy about it, but he didn't dare to protest under Ban's stern stare - and paid. Elaine floated a few inches above the ground, holding tight the thick cloth of her skirt in her hand. Her head was turned to the North, towards the Fairy King's Forest, her lips pressed in a worried line. Ban stepped outside behind her, following her stare. His gaze met the gentle, green hills that wrapped that tiny village in the South West like an embrace. To a normal traveler, it would have taken days to cross the country and reach the Forest. But, Ban thought with a half-smile, they weren't normal travelers. Noticing Elaine tensed shoulders, he reached for her hand. "I'm sure it's all right," he reassured her as he pulled her closer to kiss her hair, "I don't know what's happening, but King's there, and Diane too. They will probably solve this even before we get to the Forest."

Elaine let out a shaky breath, squeezing his hand back. "I - I know, but I have this bad feeling and the Sacred Tree is still … I don't even know." She shook her head before taking a deep breath. "It could be nothing, but I'm worried. I need to see them."

"And you will," Ban murmured, releasing his grip. "Let's go."

Elaine glanced at him, the ghost of a grateful smile on her lips. The moment later, she was gone, a soft airflow ruffling his hair. And even though he couldn't help but feel worry digging its claws in his chest for whatever was making Elaine feeling so unsettled, Ban couldn't hold back a grin as he started running after her. His lover was as swift as the wind, but so was he.

Gerheade woke up out of breath, all the muscles of her body tensed into a spasm. When she opened her eye she saw the dark canopy of leaves above her, the dim light of the moon and the stars barely filtered through the branches, and part of her mind simply registered that it was late in the night, not much later than when she had gone to sleep. For the rest, her thoughts were chaos, images and words and emotions spasmodically flowing and blending in her head. Something was wrong, she realized immediately, her heart beating vigorously in her chest at the point that she could feel the dull pounding in her ears. A cold feeling traveled through her entire body, freezing the bones. Something was very, very wrong, and it wasn't her. She breathed in deeply, pulling up in a sitting position, and the moment she finally managed to focus on the mess that was her mind she felt it. The Sacred Tree. It was what was wrong, and what was making her feel like she was trapped under the water, in the darkness of the depths of the river. It was … It was in pain. It was scared. And It needed help. Gerheade swallowed as she lifted from her pellet of moss, her hands enveloping her torso and tightening their grip in an attempt to find something to ground herself.

In the blink of an eye she was flying towards the entrance of the Fairy Realm, the cool air of the night ruffling her hair and making her shiver. She had to do something, she knew she had to do something to stop whatever was happening, it didn't matter that she had no idea of what was wrong.

While she flew through the tree, urgency burning in her chest, she noticed that she wasn't the only one heading for the Sacred Tree, though the number of panicked Fairies who simply floated and irregularly moved in the air without a clear purpose was bigger. It was obvious that they were all feeling the same way, and this did nothing but make her more nervous as she flew faster, biting her bottom lip forcefully. "Lady Gerheade!" She didn't stop but she turned to meet Ende's wide eyes, filled with dread. "Lady Gerheade," she repeated, almost out of breath, "what's happening?"

In the corner of her eye, Gerheade noticed that Ende wasn't the only Fairy coming up beside her, at least a bunch of them now flying next to them and observing her with the same worried expression, almost expecting that she could explain to them why they woke up feeling like something terrible, something they couldn't even understand, had just happened. She pressed her lips together, considering how to answer, but there was no way she could reassure them now, not when she felt like she was in the eye of a storm with no idea how to get out of it. "I don't know," she answered, "but I'm going to find out. Where is the Fairy King?"

Ende shook her head, "I don't see him since this morning. Maybe he is already there."

There was no need for her to explain where 'there' was. "Maybe," Gerheade forced herself to answer, nodding her head.

However, there was something indefinable that made her suspect that they wouldn't have found Harlequin there - the way he had acted with her in the last few days, how he had avoided the Fairy Realm, the disturbing way he was losing his magic … She clenched her jaw, anxiety and fear tightening their hold on her heart. She hoped that it wasn't too late. Not for the Sacred Tree, nor for Harlequin.

The Fairy Realm welcomed them with its high plants and the sense of home, but instead of the usual sense of serenity that enveloped her every time she landed her eye on the tall figure of the Sacred Tree, Gerheade felt her stomach twisting. The enormous Tree stood strong and motionless as ever, but with that wordless scream still echoing in her mind and making her shiver, its stillness felt oddly wrong. Other Fairies and magical creatures were already gathering around It, some at the base of the trunk and other flying around the fronds like a troubled swarm. It was towards the leaves that she flew, followed by the Fairies who had come there with her. A young boy flew next to her when she got closer, and she grabbed his arm to pull him towards her, stopping to ask him, "What's the problem?"

He frantic shook his head as to imitate the frenetic movement of his small, white wings. "I don't know," he whimpered, "It happened - I don't know!"

Gerheade nodded, pressing her lips in a hard line as she let him go. He gasped and rapidly moved away, tracing uneven paths in the sky. The woman looked away with a sigh and flew towards the Tree, attentively examining the branches. She could see nothing wrong, but maybe when she would have gotten closer -

"Lady Gerheade!" She turned, stopping at midair as she waited for the other Fairy to reach her, forcing herself to stay still though every fibre of her body was yelling at her to move, to do something, whatever, to stop that feeling. The young boy halted right in front of her, his wings flapping nervously behind him. If she remembered correctly, his name was Rame, or something similar. "I'm so glad you are here," he panted, sweat beading on his forehead and temples, "what do we do?"

Gerheade looked away, her eye finding the Tree once again, as she said, "I don't know. Do you know what's wrong?"

"No, there is nothing different! I mean, there are those weird leaves but - " he shook his head, desperately looking at her like she would have been able to give him answers, answers she simply didn't know. "Nothing has changed from today and - and they tried to communicate with the Sacred Tree, but It doesn't - It's difficult to understand what It wants to tell us, but it's bad and -"

"Is the Fairy King here?" Gerheade interrupted him, glancing around, "He should be able to -"

"No," Rame shook his head, voice faint and shaky, "We didn't see him, but I - we think that could be part of the problem. We don't know what's happening, but it has to do with king Harlequin. The Tree - It's confusing and in pain, but It feels like there is something wrong with the king."

Gerheade felt her blood run cold, but she refused to surrender to the panic that was crawling in her stomach. "We have to find him. Ende," she turned to meet the other woman's anguished gaze, "take someone with you and go find Diane, he should be with her. Convince him to come here, force him if it's necessary. The Giant Queen should help you, I think - try to explain to her what's happening, but quickly. Rame," she looked to the boy again, "you are going with her. If the Fairy King is not with his wife, convince the Fairies who are not too shaken to help you and go look for him. Search the entire Fairy King's Forest if necessary. We _will_ find him."

Rame nodded, swallowing, while Ende whispered, "What are you gonna do?"

Gerheade fixed her gaze on the fronds of the Sacred Tree once again. "I will try to understand what's wrong, I need to do that myself. But … we need Harlequin." Somehow, she knew they did. "If you can't find him, send someone to tell me, I'll gather as many Fairies as I can and look for him as well. I don't know how much time we have before - " Gerheade fell silent, uncertain. She didn't know what would have happened to the Sacred Tree if they didn't find the king, and she didn't want to wait and discover it. "Go find him," she simply finished before turning away and flying towards the Tree. Some of the Fairies that were already moving between the fronds called her, their screams vanishing in the chaos, covered by the flattering of dozens of wings. Gerheade didn't stop. She couldn't, she couldn't have even if she wanted to. Quickly, she reached a branch, her throat dry when she notices the dark leaves around her. As soon as she landed she knelt, reaching the wood with her hands. Even though it hadn't worked before, she had to try to find out what was happening; she refused to consider what would have happened if she hadn't.

Sitting on the ground with her back against a trunk, eyes closed and knees to her chest, Diane tried to focus on her breath, on the coolness of the night air, on the moisture of the earth, on anything else than what happened that afternoon. But since the moment she had stopped her furious meander, sitting in the first place she had found - she didn't even know where exactly she was and she didn't care - since her rage had slowly vanished, like the embers of a dying fire, her mind hadn't been able to stop from returning to those moments, replaying them again and again. His words, _her words _, the way his expression had changed - regretful and angry and _desperate _. The anger and hurt she had felt, clouding her mind, making her blood boil. _The way he had looked at her before leaving _.

Snapping her eyes open, Diane groaned, her head hitting against the wood. It went bad, even worse than what she had imagined when she had decided to talk with him alone. She still couldn't fully believe that he had said those things, but mostly she couldn't wrap her head around the conviction and the rage in his voice, that shade of concern in his eyes, the doggedness with which he had kept arguing despite the irrationality of his words. He didn't want anyone else entering the Fairy Realm, he really didn't, and even though she could understand where his will to protect his people and home came from, she couldn't fathom how he had changed his mind so much in just a few days. And what he had said about the other Clans, her Clan … Diane sighed and bit her bottom lip. It wasn't him. She _knew _it wasn't him, it couldn't be. Yet he had looked so determined, so sure and fierce, and she had been so furious, until she had snapped. The thought made her stomach clench as she hid her face in her hands with a low moan. She was still mad at Harlequin, for the way he kept refusing to get help, because he was pushing her and their friends and _their _people away, but it was obvious that something was wrong with him, something that he couldn't control and that was slowly taking over him. And if she was honest to herself, whatever it was had started weeks before, and now it felt so stupid that they did nothing until he showed a physical consequence of his sickness. Whatever it was, now it was getting worse, and she knew that Harlequin needed help, a help that she had - she desperately wanted - to give him, even though he didn't want it.

But she hadn't helped him. Instead, she had used against him something that she had known for sure it would have hurt him - and it had. The way he looked at her, his wide eyes so full of shock and desperate sorrow - and regret, that bitter, painful regret that she knew had hunted him for years and still held its grip on his heart, the guilt over the choices he made and that he couldn't change … It had almost made her take it back and reach for him to reassure him that she didn't mean it, she would have never. Even now that his behaviour was so confusing and unpredictable, she trusted him and the awareness that he would never hurt her - not like that, not in any other way - was unwavering. He promised her, and Harlequin would have done anything in his power to keep his promises.

Diane closed her eyes, her mind returning to that morning of two years ago, shortly after they had finally defeated the Demon King and ended the war for good. Elizabeth and the Captain were safe and everything seemed to be alright, though it was obvious that it would have taken time for their life to settle, after so many years of fighting. She remembered how nervous Harlequin was when he had asked her to talk, the way the sun made the blue of his wings glimmer, their rapid flutter breaking the silence of the depth of the Forest. At first, he had even seemed unable to look into her eyes and when he finally had, his gaze was determined and yet unsure, so full of regret and worry that her heart had ached for him and fear had gripped her heart. Something had to be wrong for him to feel like that, and she couldn't see what could have unsettled him in that moment of peace - what if something had happened to him - what if he didn't want to be with her, after all? It was then that he had told her that he was the one who had taken her memories away, that early morning of centuries ago.

Diane wasn't surprised. His words were like the cold confirm of something she already suspected. It was the only explanation for what had happened, thinking about it; who else could have done that? Still, hearing him say that had hurt. After all the years she had spent thinking that she had always been alone, after all the confusion and distress her memory loss had made her feel ... it hurt. He had no rights to take something so precious, so hers, like her memories away - _her memories of him _away. She hadn't shouted at him though, despite the anger she had felt in her chest; all she wanted to know was why - she had already wondered what reason could he have for doing something like that, but she wanted to hear it from him. She had silently listened to his explanation, and though it was obvious that her stare was difficult to bear for him, not once he had looked away, his voice low, broken by remorse and even hesitant, at first. He had really thought that it would have been for the best for her to forget. That she would have been happier, more peaceful, without having to bear the memory of another person she loved and who left her alone. He hadn't been sure, he had confessed, that he would have been able to ever come back to her.

"I would have waited for you anyway," she had pointed out, arms crossed and lips pursed, though her rage had already extinguished, replaced by something heavy and cold that was clenching her heart.

"I know," he had said, and the sadness in his amber irises had made her shift, torn by the need to hold him and the will to let him finish. "You would have had, but I couldn't ask you that. I couldn't ask you to wait for something that could have never happened. And I ... I didn't want to break the promise I made to you, I didn't want to fail you. I am sorry."

If she had to be honest with herself, she had already forgiven him, even before she had known for sure - whatever had happened, whatever he had done, it was the past, and he had already shown her more than enough how much he loved her and cared about her. She understood why he had erased her memories, and even though she still firmly believed that he shouldn't have done it, it was obvious that he knew that. So, when he had promised her that he would have never done something like that again, she believed him. She had believed him then and believed him now, with all her being. He wouldn't have been able to do something like this, not to her, not to anyone else. Then she had spent the rest of the day reassuring him that she had really forgiven him and that yes, she still wanted to marry him, with all her heart. A faint smile curved her lips as she thought about the way joy and relief had transformed his features when she had reached for him to pull him into a kiss, the happy beating of his wings tickling her hand. She trusted Harlequin. Really.

But she had told him she didn't, she thought, her smile fading, and even though he was acting like a fool and she didn't regret fighting back, hurting him wasn't what she wanted. Grabbing him and taking him to Merlin by force, that was what she should have done - what, she swore to herself, she would have done the next time she saw him. Yet, she had let him go. At the moment, it had seemed like the best decision. She was furious, her hands were trembling and her voice shaking, and she knew she needed some time to calm down and clear her mind - and he obviously needed that too. Maybe it would have helped him realise how incredibly absurd and dangerous was his behaviour. It had been the right choice, she repeated to herself as she looked him vanishing between the trees, as she turned around and walked away, losing herself in her thoughts and the depth of the Forest.

The right choice.

But now, in the solitude of the night, she wished she hadn't. She missed him, she missed his quiet presence, the warmth of his body against hers when they slept together, the reassuring whisper of his breath. Besides, she was worried. Harlequin wasn't a fool, and he usually didn't act like one, but his strange sickness was obviously affecting his mind and - and what if something had happened to him and he hadn't been able to face it? What if he had run towards the danger because -

Diane shivered and squeezed her eyelids, refusing to follow that dark path in her mind; she looked up, her eyes wandering over the landscape as she focused, looking for his magic. She felt nothing, exactly like the other times she had tried, but it was probably because his magic was too weak, too feeble to be sensed. The thought did nothing to loosen the knot of concern that tightened around her throat like a noose. Clenching her fits, she breathed in, slowly. He was in the Fairy King's Forest, his kingdom, his home. He was safe. The only person who had attacked him there was Gonf, but he rarely left the part of the Forest where the most of the Giants resided - and he wouldn't have dared to try to attack King again. Or so she hoped. But - if there had been a fight, she would have felt it. She would have, right? If something had happened ... She inhaled sharply and shifted, placing her hands on the soft ground. Maybe she should have checked that everything was all right. Just a quick check, though Harlequin was surely fine, maybe even asleep, and the day after she would have found him and forced him to get help, no matter what he -

_Thud _.

Diane flinched when the muffled sound reached her ears, but her body tensed when the noise was followed by a low moan and a choked sob. She looked around, eyes wide, but even though she was used to the faint light of the moon, it was difficult to clearly distinguish the outlines of the elements around her. She studied the back silhouettes of the trees, then her eyes dropped on the ground, finding nothing more than shadows and blurred shapes. The Fairy seemed to emerge from the darkness when she finally rose, her erratic movements immediately drawing Diane's attention. The Giantess frowned, leaning toward the little creature as she whispered, "Hey, are you alright?"

The Fairy trembled and let out another broken sob, then she took flight, her wings flapping furiously behind her. It was only when the moonlight finally shone on her skin that Diane could register her deranged expression, eyes round and sweat beading her forehead. She reached for her in the blink of an eye, letting her collapse on her palm, though she could feel her muscles tensing, making her body twitch as she was getting ready to spring towards the sky, yet not actually lifting in the air. "What's wrong?" Diane asked once again, moving the Fairy closer to her face, "How can I help you?"

The woman finally seemed to focus, her pupils narrow like pinheads when her eyes found Diane. "Make it stop," she whined, embracing herself and finally seeming able to raise on her knees. "It's bad, so so bad, please, make it stop!" She squeezed her eyelids, gasping, then, before Diane could ask her what exactly was bad, she threw herself off the Giantess' hand and flew away, meander in the air until she disappeared between the trees.

"Ah - wait!" Diane stood up, hurrying behind the Fairy. Something was wrong with her, so very wrong. She wasn't just upset, she was terrified, like something terrible had happened, something that had made the ground crumble beneath her feet. It wasn't the first time that Diane saw that look in someone's eyes, but it had been years since the last time, since the war against the Demon. The shouldn't have been a reason for that Fairy to feel like that, not in her homeland, not now. She needed to know what was happening.

"Hey!" Diane called again, though she wasn't sure the other woman could hear her in that state of mind, much less that she could answer. She hurried when she noticed something moving through the leaves, pushing away the branches standing in her way, narrowing her eyes as she looked for the other woman. She froze when she realized that it wasn't her. The Fairies were around her in the blink of an eye, emerging from the darkness, flying around her mindlessly, like they couldn't even see her, and then disappearing again, apparently aimlessly, their bodies moving nervously in the air. Some were murmuring intelligible words to themselves, and someone even let out a cry that made Diane turn abruptly only to find nothing. But most of them were silent, turning their heads around quickly and desperately like they were looking for something they had lost. "Hey!" Diane spun around, trying to catch their attention, "Stop!" No one showed any sign of having heard her. She snorted, clenching her jaw as she rapidly reached for a Fairy, holding him in her hand, not too tight yet not letting him go when he tried to fly away. "What's happening?" She questioned as she took him closer to her face.

Only then the fair-haired man moved his eyes on her, focusing on her figure and seeming to notice her for the first time. He shook his head, writhing in her grip. "The Sacred Tree!" He yelled and turned his head towards his right side, his stare fixed on the wood. "Something happened to the Sacred Tree," he panted, "we have to - ah!"

He freed himself from Diane's fingers when she loosened her fist, and in a moment he disappeared into the crowd of Fairies that still flew around her. Diane didn't look after him. Her stare was fixed on her hand, all the sounds that had enveloped her until then disappearing, smothered by the loud beating of her heart. _The Sacred Tree _. In a moment she was in Merlin's lab again, standing next to Harlequin as he confessed that something was wrong with the Tree and that he was _afraid _that it could have been dangerous for his people. Was this what he meant? This inexplicable madness that was taking over the Fairies was a consequence of what was happening to the Sacred Tree? Was Harlequin -

Diane widened her eyes, breath stopping in her throat. Harlequin. His connection to the Sacred Tree, he had told her, was stronger than any other Fairy, so if whatever was happening was making the Fairies go insane ... what kind of effect could it have on him? Was he flying in the darkness with his face pale and round eyes, overwhelmed by fear, nothing but the silent trees of the Forest at his side? Diane clenched her jaw so tight that it started to hurt before forcing herself to breathe in. She couldn't let panic take over her, not now. What she had to do was finding her husband, and quickly. The muscles of her legs tensed, but she kept her feet grounded to the earth, refusing to move - running around looking for him would have been senseless, she had to _think _. Once again, she focused, searching for his magic, and once again, she sensed nothing. A cry of frustration left her lips before she could stop it, and she clenched her hands in an effort to calm herself. Where could he have gone after their fight? A snide whisper in her mind pointed out that he maybe had just wandered in the Forest, exactly like she had, and there was no way to know where he was now. She chased it out of her head, biting her lip. She _had to _think that he had headed for a place he knew, somewhere safe, where he could have been alone and think -

"Diane!"

She jumped and in a heartbeat she summoned her magic, the earth barely trembling under her feet, ready to answer to her will. She sighed when she brought to focus Ende and the group of Fairies that was following her, letting go of her hold over the ground. Ende looked as pale and horrified as the others, but she seemed to still have some control over herself. The knot that still clenched the Giantess' chest loosened a little - maybe it wasn't so bad, maybe Harlequin was okay and knew how to handle that chaos. "Ende!" She called, taking a step toward her, "What's happening?"

"I - we don't know," the Fairy stopped in the air, her voice shaking, "It's the Sacred Tree, but we can't - where is the Fairy King?" She looked around, then her glossy eyes returned to Diane, gleaming with a mix of fear and hope, "Please, tell me he is with you."

Diane stiffened, feeling like her blood had just frozen in her veins. "I - I don't know," she admitted, and she swallowed. "We were together this afternoon, but then he just - he left."

Because she had let him go, she thought, feeling her eyes swelling up - no, she couldn't cry, not now. "He has to be around here," she tried to reassure Ende, and herself, but the Fairy was trembling, and one of the ones who were behind her sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. The others looked too terrified to even move.

"We have to find him," Ende breathed out, "now. Whatever is happening - we have to stop it, or ... I don't know what will happen if ..." She shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

"We will," Diane forced herself to look confident, though the knot in her chest seemed to get tighter and tighter, making it difficult to speak firmly. "I'm going to find him, but we have to get help - how many Fairies can do that?"

"I don't know. The Sacred Tree is … It's like It's screaming in our mind, calling for help, and it's difficult to focus on something else." Ende, clenched her jaw, squeezing her eyes, "I don't know how many of us can overcome, but I'll try to ask for help. Where do you think he could have gone?"

"I … I know some places that are special to him," Diane slowly answered, her mind immediately running to the place where she had found him the last time they argued - where he had looked so fragile and afraid, where he had kissed her and hold her like he couldn't believe that he was there, alive, with her. Maybe he had returned there - somehow, she doubted it, but she had to make sure. "I will check them. If I find him - "

"The Fairy Realm," Ende cut her off, "you have to take him there, it doesn't matter what happens. The Sacred Tree - we need him there. Lady Gerheade is trying to deal with It right now, she will wait for you."

Diane nodded. "Alright. If you find him, please, you have to tell me. Send someone, make a signal, I need to see him."

She waited until Ende nodded her head back and turned to give some quick instructions to the other Fairies, then moved away, first walking then running through the trees. There were a few places she knew were dear to him and she had to check them, though she couldn't help but fear that, after their argument, he wouldn't have wanted to be found so easily. She desperately hoped it wasn't the case. He had to be there, because if he wasn't, she had no idea how to find him.

The night passed in a blur. Diane realized that the sun was rising only when she noticed its dim light filter through the leaves, illuminating the Forest around her and making discernible the outlines of the roots that emerged from the ground. She stopped walking, her gaze lingering on the path that spread between the trees in front of her, then gritted her teeth and turned her back to it, forcing her legs to head towards the centre of the Forest, towards the tree that signed the passage for the Fairy Realm. It was where she and Ende had agreed to meet when they had come across, at some point during the night - Diane vaguely remembered the pink-haired Fairy's anguished expression and the wringing of her hands as she confessed that Harlequin was still nowhere to be found. She had proposed, hesitantly, to meet there at dawn, in the case someone of them had found him and hadn't been able to inform the others, though the hope that this wouldn't have been necessary - that they would have found him sooner - had been clear in her voice, and Diane knew that her words had sounded exactly the same when she had agreed. Yet there she was, headed to the meeting alone, a grip of what had become cold, pure fear around her heart. She hadn't found him, of course. Not in the viewpoint he had been last time, nor in that little clearing where the grass was sprinkled with bluebells and forget-me-nots, where he loved to rest. Not in that cave they had found once that they were exploring the Forest and that had become one of their favourite places. Not in the wooden house they had built, nor anywhere else. And when she hadn't been able to think about another place he could have wanted to reach, she had started to wander, losing herself in the wood as she called his name, again and again, until her voice had started to get hoarse and to fade.

He had to be there, somewhere in the Forest. He had to be. Even if he had wanted to leave, in his condition he wouldn't have been able to go too far - but when she had covered part of the edge of the Forest, desperately trying to sense a trace of his magic, she had found nothing. Maybe she hadn't looked well enough, and searching for him outside the Forest would have been for the best, later - but perhaps, it wouldn't have been necessary. She slightly shook her head, biting her lip, but she couldn't stop that tiny sprout of hope that she would have found him there, sitting between the leaves, waiting for her. It was not going to happen, she told herself, making her way in the wood. Yet ...

When the view on the passage opened in front of her, her eyes wandered on the exhausted Fairies who were sitting and lying on the branches. Even though she already knew it, her stomach clenched when she saw that none of the was Harlequin, and the heaviness in her chest only increased when she spotted Ende, standing on the wood with a couple of other Fairies, intent on talking with Gerheade. Both women turned to look at her when she entered the clearing, and Diane hated the way a spark of hope crossed their features, then immediately vanished. They hadn't found him, she knew it, yet once she reached them she couldn't stop herself to ask, voice low and hesitant, "Nothing?"

Ende ruefully shook her head, "Nothing." She looked exhausted, dark shades under her eyes and colour still drained from her face. "We didn't search all the Forest but we looked well enough and he just … he wasn't there."

"I've sent someone looking in the Fairy Realm as well," Gerheade sighed wearily, "but I don't think he is there. If he had come, someone would have noticed him. But if he is … " She shook her head, "it could take days to find him, assuming that he didn't move too fast."

Diane nodded and swallowed before murmuring, "I was thinking … maybe he left the Forest, just to … to clear his mind. He was so tired yesterday, he could have collapsed somewhere without being able to return."

"Why should he have even left the Forest? In a moment like that! He wouldn't -" Gerheade fell silent as she studied Diane's expression. The Giantess bit her lip and looked away, but whatever the king's advisor had seen, it was enough. "Did something happen?"

Diane breathed in slowly before answering, still not looking at her, "Yesterday afternoon we had an argument. He did something so _stupid _and then he kept saying those horrible things and I - I was angry, and I said things I shouldn't have. He told me that he needed some time alone. I didn't stop him." She lifted her gaze, meeting Gerheade's tired eye. "I am sorry."

The Fairy didn't speak immediately, then exhaled slowly, passing a hand on her face. "You don't have to apologize, I can't say I would have done differently … _I _am to blame. After they told me that there was something wrong with the Sacred Tree, after I've seen it ... I should have known that something bad could have happened. I should have helped him."

"He wasn't letting you help," Diane shook her head, "he wasn't letting anyone help. But when we find him, he won't have any other choice," she added, trying to sound positive, though the thought that something irreparable had happened to him had been lurking in her mind for hours, no matter how hard she tried to reject it. "Do you know what's happening? With the Sacred Tree?"

Ende stiffened, looking at her feet as Gerheade lowered her head, pressing her lips together. "It's done."

"What?" Diane furrowed her brows, "What is done?" As she stared at them, it suddenly occurred to her mind that the Fairies looked different. Ende was tired and worried as before, but her body lacked that nervous tension that had made her movements rapid and broken during the night, and that same applied to the woman and the two men behind her. Maybe they were just too tired, or …

"I couldn't understand what exactly was happening with the Tree," Gerheade quietly explained, "I've tried but - it was too much. The Sacred Tree is not like the other trees, we could even say it has its own mind, a mind that for us is difficult to read. It doesn't think as we do. All I got was that something terrible was happening, something that was hurting It. It wanted us to make it stop, but maybe an hour ago it just … it stopped. I can still feel the presence of the Tree in my head, but this time, it's a warning. Whatever it was … It happened. It's too late."

A coldness flooded in her body as Diane asked, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but it's bad. I'm afraid we will find out soon enough."

"Do you think -" Diane stopped and swallowed, her throat feeling too dry to speak, "do you think it's about Harlequin? Since he has a … close bond, with the Sacred Tree."

Silence fell on the group. Diane's eyes were fixed on Gerheade, and so were the ones of the Fairies gathered around, and for a moment the Giantess regretted asking that question. Gerheade looked so tired, so fragile under their gazes, and Diane didn't remember ever seeing her so slovenly, dress crinkled and dishevelled hair falling loose on her shoulders. "I can't be sure," the king's advisor murmured finally, tightening her grip on the wand. "But it's likely. Harlequin's condition worsened not many days after we discovered the changes of the Tree … I don't know what started first, but I think … there is a correlation." She swallowed as she added, "I hope nothing happened to him but the Tree was … I couldn't understand clearly, but it felt like It feared for him. And now, it's over. I don't know what, but … it's over. It's too late."

"No." Diane crossed her arms, taking a step back, her legs suddenly feeling so weak that she feared she would have fallen. Even though she didn't, it felt like she was, falling down and down, deep in the bowels of the earth. "You don't ... Harlequin can't -"

"She didn't mean that," Ende gently said, though her lips voice was marked with incertitude as she glanced at the other Fairy.

"I didn't," Gerheade sighed, "I'm sorry Diane, I didn't want to scare you. If Harlequin was … If it was too late for him, we would have known, the Tree would have felt that. For now, it doesn't seem like It wants to choose a new king."

It felt like the oxygen could finally reach for her lungs. Diane felt herself nodding as she embraced her torso. It wasn't too late. Whatever had happened, it wasn't too late for him. They just had to find him and then they would have found a way to fix everything. Instinctively, and almost desperately, she reached for her power, trying once again to find him. Around her, she could sense all the feeble presences of the Fairies - Gerheade's one was stronger, shining like quartz between stones. King's wasn't there, of course, but Diane refused to give up so soon. She squeezed her eyelids until - there. Her eyes snapped open as she turned towards North, furrowing her brows. She had found something - _someone _she knew well. But not Harlequin. "What -" Gerheade stopped when she felt it and followed Diane's gaze. "How -"

Diane didn't wait for the end of her sentence. Her feet were moving even before she knew, and she rapidly made her way through the trees, ignoring the exhaustion. And even though she felt relief flowing into her mind, she couldn't help but bit the inside of her cheek with a mix of guilt and nervousness. How was she supposed to explain that they had no idea where Harlequin was to his sister?

It had been months since the last time Elaine had visited the Fairy King's Forest, right before she and Ban left headed towards South, and when finally the mist vanished, revealing the flourishing vegetation, she wasn't surprised to notice that it seemed to have grown even more. It had been like that every time she had come to visit and it had been a relief to her, to know that the loss of the Fountain of Youth hadn't destroyed the chance for the new Forest to prosper. But now, she didn't feel relieved as she floated through the shrubs and the high trees. The last time, the entire Forest had seemed to breathe - the flapping of the wings of the other Fairies, their murmurs echoing in the wood, the buzz of the bugs and the creaking of the twigs, all those sounds blending and creating like a song around her. Now, only Ban's soft footsteps broke the silence, and the Forest looked frozen as pending. Elaine exhaled slowly, crossing her arms, the weight in her chest growing heavier as they proceeded. The urgency that had made her muscles tense and ache when she had woken up had reduced at some point during the night, yet she hadn't felt any better because it has left behind the firm certainty that something had happened, something that she had failed to stop. Now that she was finally there, she felt it even stronger. But that wasn't what really made her throat dry and heart pound against her breastbone. When she glanced at Ban, he looked away from the surrounding trees and met her eyes, flinching a brow. Of course, he had noticed too.

They were alone.

The last time she had come, she hadn't even made in time to set foot on the Forest's ground that Harlequin had been there. She remembered him emerging from the leaves, his eyes shining and a smile on his lips as he flew to meet her at mid-air; she had laughed in his embrace and held him closer - she had missed him, she always missed him, though the feeling was made bearable by the knowledge that he was there, in the Forest, where she could have always found him. Diane was with him, of course, coming out from the trees right behind him, a grin on her lips as she waved at her. When she had joined them, she had chuckled, explaining that the moment Harlequin had felt them coming, he had wanted to fly towards them to meet them midway, fidging like a bumblebee all along the way. Elaine remembered that her brother had flushed yet he hadn't stopped smiling and then Ban had said that had made her laugh before they finally headed all together toward the centre of the Forest. The fact that there was no one for them this time - not her brother, not Diane, not even a single Fairy simply floating around - made her gut clench. There had to be a reason why they weren't there, and she was certain that she wouldn't have liked it.

At her side, Ban stopped abruptly, turning his head, his tensed shoulders barely relaxing. "Diane's coming," he stated, and Elaine nodded as she sensed the Giantess' presence rapidly coming closer, "but King's not around here."

"The Fairy Realm," Elaine murmured, then swallowed, trying to control her anxiety, "he could be there. We wouldn't detect his magic if he was."

Besides, she thought as she landed next to Ban, her feet touching the cold grass with a rustle, it made sense that Harlequin was with the Sacred Tree, most likely taking care of whatever issue was going on. She would have seen him soon enough. Yet, when Diane's tall figure appeared between the trunks, Elaine felt cold coursing through her veins. Something was wrong, everything told her that. The Giantess' tired and elusive eyes, the fact that she had a cut right on the side of her cheek, a thin line of dark red on her too pale skin that she obviously hadn't noticed - or she hadn't cared to notice, the other cuts on her arms. "Elaine, Ban," she nodded and sighed when she kneeled on the ground in front of them, "You are there. Thank Gods, you are really here."

"Diane," Ban nodded back, "what's going on here? Elaine -"

"What happened to the Sacred Tree?" Elaine blurted out as she lifted from the ground to get closer to the other woman, unable to control the rapid flap of her wings, "How's Harlequin handling it? Is he all right?"

She stiffened when a shadow passed through Diane's eyes and she lowered her gaze. "He is not," she murmured, her voice breaking. She joined her hands and breathed in before continuing, "We don't know where he is. We looked for him all night but we can't find him!"

_No _. Elaine closed her eyes, letting out a short breath. This couldn't be happening, not again, Harlequin couldn't be missing - but Diane's despairing gaze, the way she kept tormenting her hands, told her otherwise. "No," she murmured between her teeth anyway, "he _has _to be here." He couldn't have left the Forest again to disappear only the Gods knew where.

Ban rapidly glanced at her before shaking his head and returning his eyes on Diane, "This makes no sense. King's magic stands out like a lighthouse in the middle of the night, why can't we sense him?"

"It's not like that right now." Diane crossed her arms, pressing her lips in a hard line. Even though her mind was clouded, Elaine realized that the Giantess was on the verge of tears, yet she refused to let them fall. "He lost most of his power in the last few days," she explained, her voice feeble, "I don't think we can find him like this anymore."

"What?" Elaine covered her mouth with her hands in horror, "How - why?" The thought of her brother missing again, and this time without his magic, made her feel sick and breathless.

"I don't know!" Diane shrieked, a sob escaping her lips, "No one does! He just … he wasn't able to sleep and then he started acting so weird and to weaken and - I should have realized it sooner." She inhaled sharply, raising her eyes to meet Elaine's, "I should have helped him but I - I've let him go instead, and now, we can't find him - and the Sacred Tree … I don't even know what's happening with it! I'm sorry " She stopped, and for a moment her rapid breathing was the only sound breaking the silence, until she murmured, "I need your help. We have to find him."

When she opened her mouth to answer, Elaine felt her voice halting in her throat, as if her neck was tightened by a knot. She blinked, and in a moment she found herself alone, on the tip of the tree that had hosted the Fountain of Youth, waiting for her brother and hoping that he would have come back soon - and she waited and waited and _waited _even though she knew nothing of his fate. The warm touch on her fingers made her jump, but when she turned, meeting Ban's scarlet stare, and he tightened his grip on her hand, giving her something to hold onto, she was finally able to take a breath. She squeezed his hand as she turned her head towards Diane. "I need to know exactly what happened. But - we will find him." She wouldn't have considered any other outcome, not now.

The Giant Queen breathed out and nodded, raising. Even though her eyes still glistened, she seemed to have recovered control over herself. "I will tell you while we look for him. Many Fairies don't seem to be in the condition to help, but we will find the ones who can."

"Well, it seems like they just found us," Ban said, nodding towards the trees. Elaine looked up just in time to see Gerheade flying towards them, relief clear on her face; she was followed by a group of other Fairies - not many, Elaine noticed, pursing her lips.

"Hey," Ban's voice made her turn her head towards him. He grinned, squeezing her hand, "We are going to find him. I bet he just fell asleep somewhere and didn't even realize what happened, that lazy-ass!"

It was unlikely - there was no way Harlequin hadn't felt what had happened to the Sacred Tree, and Diane's words about his magic worried her, but for a moment Elaine allowed herself to make him a weak smile, as she answered, "You are right. We are going to find him." At least this time, she thought as she flew towards the other Fairies, Ban walking at her side and Diane preceding them, she wasn't alone.


	8. Chapter 8: Uncovering the truth

**A/N**: It's been so long since the last chapter I've posted and I'm terribly sorry about that. I didn't expect this to take so long! Unfortunately, college is taking up most of my time, and I'm afraid that the next chapter will take a while as well (but I promise it will come). In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! I once again thank Redworld96, she has been so supportive and helped me a lot. The amazing colouring that goes with this chapter is actually the one that gave life to this story! We are both very excited to finally share it. Unfortunately, is not allowing me to put it here, but you can find it on Redworld96's Tumblr or DeviantArt.

Thanks to Trig as well, who beta read this chapter and dealt with my loquacity in writing! And thanks to the ones who are still reading and enjoying this story even though my updates take forever. Really, thank you so much!

Enjoy

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**_Chapter VIII: Uncovering the truth_**

The light of the candles glowed softly on the vial on the table, making the dark blood assume lighter shades, still fluid as the day it was taken. Fairy blood. It had peculiar attributes, and this made it fascinating to work with. Yet, funnily enough, Merlin was starting to grow tired of it. She has spent days examining it, using all the spells she knew to look even for the tiniest imperfection, and by now she was _sure _there was nothing wrong, per se, in the substance. No toxins, no poisons, nothing that could indicate the presence of disease, or at least, nothing that she could detect - and she was confident enough to think that this meant that there was truly nothing.

It made no sense.

Merlin pursed her lips, her palms pressing against the wood of the table as she barely leaned towards the vial. Something was obviously wrong with King, she had seen it with her own eyes, and if experience had taught her something, it was that everything left a trace, for the ones who were shrewd enough to catch it. Not for the first time that night, she lifted her hand and moved it above the vial, spreading her fingers as she freed her magic and focused on finding the minuscule shreds of magic that still lingered in the blood. Usually, it disappeared from the substance shortly after it had left the body of the owner, but for her, this wasn't a problem, not with her abilities. Even so, the task wasn't easy. It was probably King's sudden loss of power that made it so difficult to find even the tiniest trace of his magic. Narrowing her eyes, she kept looking, painstakingly searching the blood, seconds turning into minutes as the light of the rising sun slowly started to filter from the closed window, illuminating the floor piece by piece. The line of light had almost reached the table leg when she finally exhaled, a sense of satisfaction making her lips curve into a little smile. What she had found felt like a tiny bright spot in the blood, invisible to the eyes. It would have gone unnoticed to most of the mages. Not to Merlin. Not to her power. Carefully, she moved her fingers, amplifying the feeble drop and extracting it from the blood; she still couldn't see it, not with her eyes, but she could feel it, like a small sphere right under her hand, barely vibrating in the air. Closing her eyes, she used her power to examine it carefully once again. King's magic was familiar to her, after all the years they had spent together - Fairy magic, undoubtedly, with something in it that made it only King's. It felt way weaker than usual, but apart from that, she could sense nothing wrong with it either. Yet, there _had _to be something. Something that was slowly draining the magic.

Snorting in frustration, Merlin let the magic go. It dissipated in the air like mist under the sun. She reached for the vial, her fingers wrapping around the glass and lifting it as she glared at it. Another second and the blood was once again enveloped with her magic, her powers flowing through it, exploring every cell, every particle, in search of something, _anything. _A trace, a spark, whatever. If she had found nothing, she would have looked for King, no matter how reticent he would have been - the memory of the way he had acted during their last encounter barely gleamed in her mind before she chased it away, focusing once again on her research. His sudden mistrust was another detail she couldn't clearly explain, not yet, but she didn't doubt she would have. If there was something Merlin was good at, was satisfying her own curiosity, and now, it had gotten personal.

Only when the sunlight clearly illuminated her vial in her hands and her forearms, getting to brush her elbow, Merlin pursed her lips, snorting as she started to order her magic back. She was wasting her time like that, when what she should have done, probably since the start, was study the problem at the root. Even though King still hadn't called her back, she needed to see him. Rather he had gotten better, or he had gotten worse, and therefore he would have accepted her help, no matter what -

_Oh? _

Her brow flinched and she turned her hand with a rotational movement, sending her magic back. For a moment, she had thought she had found something ... different. New. But as soon as she looked back, it had disappeared. It could have been just an impression caused by tiredness, it wasn't like her but - no, she realized as she breathed in, brushing against it again. In a moment she wrapped it with her magic to prevent it from vanishing once again in the blood, excitement growing in her chest as she started to examine it. It was nothing more than a little fragment of magic, a spark that would have already died if it wasn't for the spells she had put on the vial, but what made her lips curve into a delighted smile was that it clearly wasn't King's. It wasn't even Fairy magic, though at first, it felt like it - but no, Merlin decided as her lips parted slightly, her narrowed eyes fixed on the blood as if she could see the flow of power inside it. She couldn't quite point out what it was, though, and it didn't help that it was so tiny, almost like a tace left by something passing by. Maybe the scraps of a spell?

Brows furrowed, she continued working, now both her hands moving around the vial now, an annoyed hiss leaving her lips when she realised that she couldn't identify what kind of spell it had been and more than that, not even what kind of magic she was dealing with. Demon magic felt richer, intense and unmistakable in its savage force, but it wasn't even Goddesses', nor Giant. Humans' abilities were trickier to identify as they could assume so many aspects, but Merlin had lived among Humans since - well, since the first Holy War had ended, she would have been able to recognize it. And this _felt _different, somehow. Older, wilder, somehow even familiar. It made her throat tighten and her nose wrinkle, a sick feeling tickling the back of her mouth. She swallowed but refused to let go. Had she dealt with something similar before? She couldn't quite point out what it reminded her, yet it was like something was moving in her memory, fighting to surface. _Belialuin? _She wondered, the name of her lost home feeling foreign even in her mind - she rarely even thought about it, nowadays. The city had been so full of magic, magic that had disappeared from this world after its destruction. Yet, she couldn't remember any of it ever making her feel so ... uncomfortable. Then, maybe, it had been later, during the First Holy War - the Gods knew she had seen some of the worse things she had ever faced, back then. But again, it wasn't the work of Goddesses nor Demons, then what -

_No_. She gasped, a jolt travelling through her spine and making her almost - _almost _\- lose her grip on the foreign magic. No, it hadn't been during the war, it had been before - she could still clearly see it, in the back of her mind, the dying wood with its disturbing silent trees, and she felt like she was still there, the suffocating feeling of something clenching her lungs and her guts, crawling into her throat and weighting on her shoulders until Elizabeth had found her and took her away. She hadn't been in that place in thousands of years, yet she would have never been able to forget it, nor to completely remove from her mind the way that had magic felt. So similar to one of the Fairy Clan she knew, yet not the same. Yes, it was it. She had found the anomaly. Even though she had never had access to the knowledge she would have wanted, not about what had happened to the other half of the Fairy Clan, she knew that the power wasn't supposed to be in _King's _blood. He was born centuries after that kind of energy was apparently wiped out from existence, how could he have come in contact with it? And, for the Gods, what did it mean for him?

Cursing under her breath, Merlin finally let her magic go, the vial returning still on its support on the table. The moment later, she was already focusing on finding Gowther and Escanor, rapidly scanning the city of Camelot, but they were exactly where she thought she would have found them. Escanor's tavern. The last thing she saw before she disappeared from her room was the vial of blood, still on the table, the morning sun illuminating the blood, turning it into a lighter shade of red. So innocuous to the eyes. Yet, it had changed everything.

* * *

Everything hurts. His legs when his feet touch the ground, his arms, his lungs and ribs when they expand with every breath. His skin hurts too, it feels like it's about to break and slip away from his body to melt on the ground - and it's so hot, too hot, the air burns his nose and throat, making him cough and weep. Desperation is the one thing that pushes him to keep going, half flying and half walking, stumbling on the wooden floor like a bird with broken wings. This path has no way out, this hole of charred wood and fire will be his grave, he knows it, and he knew it when he flew into the crevice that led him here, inside the large trunk of the Dark Tree. But he can't turn back. _He can't_. Not with the screams still echoing in his ears and the blood fresh on his clothes and skin, sticky and loathsome on his hands - he won't look at them, doesn't want to look at them. The outside is not a way out, if he turns back, if he crawls out again, he will be dead - he will be _killed_, like everyone else.

He breathes out sharply and shuts his eyes when he hacks, almost falling on the ground. He stumbles and it takes _everything _to push his body to keep moving - but it works and he goes on.

A step, the arch of his foot on the wood.

A stabbing pain to his muscles and bones, radiating to his whole body - maybe this time his leg will give up and he will fall and if he falls he will not be able to stand up again and - _he doesn't fall, _not yet.

What remains of his magic pushes his body forward, slowly.

Another step. All over again. And again. And again.

Before his eyes, the wooden guts of the Tree and the glares of the fires, yet he doesn't see it. He sees blood instead, and wings rip to pieces and bodies falling on the ground, and he hears it, the sound of the bones crushing and the flesh rupturing, a blur of pink and white and red spreading on the ground. They are dead. All of them. His friends, his family, people he knew since the day he was born. He ears Adhane's laugh and then her shattering cry when her wings when ripped off from her back, he sees the cocky grin Mole gave him just this morning and then his empty eyes and blood stained lips, and he remembers seeing Cara and Thore flying together between the branches a few hours ago and then them falling on the ground, their limbs still and rigid. They are all gone. Just like that.

And soon, he will join them too. This desperate escape, his limping in the wooden tunnel, towards the centre of what he once believed the most powerful thing of this world, all of this … it's useless. Maybe _they _won't venture in the burning Tree, maybe _they _won't chase him to finish him. Even so, he will burn alive. If he had enough air in his lungs, he would sob. He doesn't want to die, not now, not like this, not alone. It wasn't supposed to end this way. They weren't supposed to be attacked like that - right in their home, in their most sacred dwelling. They weren't supposed to be attacked by _them _\- the other ones, their own Clan.

But it happened. The other attacked and they weren't ready - how could they have been ready for _that _? The assault was merciless and brutal, it didn't give them time to do anything more than trying to counterattack - and besides, that monster -

Fear clenches his heart and he squeezes his eyes. Dozens of his people have fallen, their blood pouring in the air like red rain, and all by the hand of just one of _them. _Only one. And he had been enough to break their line and their groups and claim the life of their best warriors. He has seen the monster only from the distance, surrounded by other Fairies yet unmistakable - wings larger than any he has ever seen, blood covering his body, and that weapon, that terrifying weapon, a golden spear barely shining in the air before striking ruthlessly. He was simply lucky enough not to be in its range. Gods, he thinks with a choked sob, was that even luck?

The rough sound of his dry cough gets lost in the creaking of the wood on fire and he has to stop for a moment, a hand on his throat. The heatwave that envelops him is sudden and heavy like iron, it makes him jerks as he moves again, advancing through the smoke. His eyes burn too and waters and he blinks, again and again, until he finally looks up, sight clouded by tears and - and he can't go further. Even though the smoke is everywhere, he knows he reached the end of the road. The heart of their Dark Tree.

_His _end.

Only then his body collapses, the last remainings of strength that pushed him until now have vanished, leaving behind only an empty shell. He falls on his knees, hands grasping the rough vines of the floor, and a sound that should be a scream yet it's only a whine leave his sore throat. Pressing his forehead against the wood, he trembles, body writhing as the heat bites his skin again and burns the tips of his wings. _Please _, he whispers, thought the words don't make it through his lips, _please _. What he is begging for, he doesn't know - salvation, a quick death, anything but the fire slowly consuming him. But no one is there to hear his plea if not for the Tree. It's still alive, he feels Its presence in his mind, but it's feeble and hurt and - It is dying, too, consumed by the flames. It won't help him. He is alone.

_Alone _.

_No no no no please not like this not like -_

The sudden movements of the vines under him makes his heart skip a beat. His eyes snap open, still, he can't move, all his energies had been drained. But he doesn't have to, the roots push towards him and are strong enough to lift the upper part of his body. In a moment he is on his knees again and the wood in front of him is creaking, opening like a chest. Then, he is not alone anymore. The whispers in his mind are not quite words, nor sentences, yet they are clear, demanding and pleading at the same time. He gasps and then tries to slow down his breath as he nods quickly. _Anything _, he answers, anything for the Dark Tree - _a_ _nything to get out of here _. So, when finally the seed emerges from the broken wood and the splinters, almost hold tenderly by the vines, he reaches out for it without hesitation. It's heavy and rough under his bruised fingers, he has to hold it with both his hands; it seems to beat in his grip, a heart just ripped from the rib cage. Holding it to his chest, he lifts his eyes one most time, his lips barely moving as he swears that he will do what it's needed to take it to safety.

There is no answer, only the feeling of something grabbing his being and pulling him away. Away from the Fairy Realm, towards Britannia - this will be the last time he'll ever feel something like that, he realizes, and the last time he will see his home. But there is no time for goodbyes, no time for regrets, and when the world stops spinning and he opens his eyes, the fire has disappeared and so the flames and the cracking of the wood. The roots of the trees of the Underground Forest wrap him in a protective embrace, and for a second, just a brief, precious second, he can collapse on the ground and _breathe _. Almost like he was safe. Then, the sounds that are now deafening him make their way into his mind. Screams. The beating of dozens of wings. The horrific sound of the bodies hitting the ground and shattering.

_No _.

His head raises, breath halting in his throat because here his kind is falling too and there are corpses all around him, lying on the roots and the branches, and up in there, between the leaves, the battle continues. His people are still fighting, weapons twirl in the air, yet it's obvious who will be the winner - the warriors he recognizes are so few and they are will soon be surrounded and slaughtered like everyone else. The urge to join them is sudden and ferocious, something visceral that seems to grab his soul and push him up, to use everything he has left to fight with his people one last time - _and kill them, kill the others, the ones who destroyed his world and took everything away from him _. But when his hands unconsciously clench something hard and warm scratches his palms and then it throbs and he curses himself. The seed. He _has _to protect the seed. If they find him, if they kill him, then everything will be lost. Forever.

And so he forces himself to look away from the fight and crouches as he gathers all the power he has left; he lays the seed between his knees, his fingers lingering on its peel just a moment before letting it go. Then, he starts digging. The ground is hard and his fingers are burned and bleeding, his nails break against the earth and he feels so exhausted and his magic is vanishing. He keeps digging. Something falls somewhere in front of him and the squishy sound it makes is enough to make him want to puke, yet he doesn't look up - if he does, he will find lifeless eyes staring at him and he _knows _he will recognize them. It wouldn't make the difference anyway. He keeps digging.

More, and more, and more.

* * *

The light was sudden and too bright on his eyelids, it wiped out the darkness with a burst of white. King woke up inhaling sharply, his eyes opening abruptly and then immediately shutting, hurt by the intensity of the sunlight. He lifted his arms to cover the face, heaving a sigh when his world fell in the blackness again. Swallowing the air, the fast pounding of his heart loud in his head, he tried to calm his breath; slowly, he became aware of his own body, of the soreness that made his muscles tense and his skin sting, of the coldness and roughness of the wood under his back. He was lying on a tangle of roots, he realized, eyes still closed and wings pressing uncomfortably against the treen mass. _The Tree's roots _. He had climbed the Tree's roots the night before, crawling in the darkness like a blind man, yet he didn't remember falling on them. It had probably happened after, during the … during the change. The memory of that burning pain that had scalded his flesh and devoured his mind made him swallow, his hands clenching weakly.

It had been necessary, though. The change had to be completed, and that required pain, but now King knew, really knew what it meant. And even though every muscle of his body ached, like they had been strained and squeezed for hours, even though his eyes still burned because of the light and his back felt tense and the wings stiff, he hadn't felt so good in weeks. It wasn't only the exhaustion that had made his body heavier and his head aching, the fog that had obfuscated his mind and made his thoughts slow and vague had disappeared too. Now, everything was clear, bright even, as all the pieces had moved to the right place. He finally knew what had happened to him - and why. Thinking about it, it had been inevitable, exactly like the pain that had come with the change. Replacing a bond so strong like the one he had with the Sacred Tree required time and sacrifice, but now it was done and it felt _amazing _. Carefully, he reached for his magic and felt his lips curving into a smile when he found it there, strong and ample as it had been before. It felt different, it _was _different, but that didn't matter. It was his, and it would have followed his will, never letting him vulnerable in front of an enemy again. And Diane didn't have to worry about him anymore and he finally could explain to her what happened and - and she would have been _happy _and forgiven him. Everything was fine, now.

_Everything was fine _.

Finally, King lowered his arms, squeezing his eyes when the sunlight hit again against his eyelids. He breathed out, taking a few seconds to get used to it, then, slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, it was too much. He blinked a couple of times before he could distinguish the twine of vines that covered entirely the ground above him and the dark leaves that sprouted from them. He glanced around, inhaling sharply when his gaze met the creak on the ceiling; he immediately looked away, closing his eyes, the light too bright to bear. It came from there, of course, it was the only entrance - yet, it shouldn't have been so much, the break wasn't large enough to let the sunlight illuminate the cave completely. It was … different, almost unnatural. But, King thought as he forced his eyes open once again, refusing to surrender to the light, so was he. He blinked a few times as he lifted the upper part of his body, leaning on his elbow, then stopped a moment to catch his breath and relax his muscles. His body was still sore, but it was getting better, quickly adjusting to the change. A moment later, he managed to sit and even stretch his arms, a low sigh escaping his lips.

"You should take it slow."

King jerked, immediately tensing again when the voice broke the silence, and turned - his muscles hurt and complained, but he ignored the ache and focused on his magic, getting ready to react. But, there was no need. The moment his eyes landed on the figure, he knew that it wasn't a danger. At first, he couldn't even understand if the minute person sitting on the roots, a few feet from him, were a male of a female - their body, barely covered by a pair of old and battered pants and shaggy long hair that fell on the woods around them, was too emaciated, like some kind of beast had crawled under their skin and eat all the flesh, leaving only the bones. Even from where he was, King could count every single rib and distinguish the edges of the collarbones, and the arms, which they kept in their lap, were thin and weak, the slender hands looking almost like white spiders pending on their web. A male, finally King decided as he studied the sunken face - the hollow cheeks and the cheek bones stretching the skin until it looked white and thin as paper - and a Fairy. The long, pointy ears popping out from the brownish hair gave it away, and he even though he couldn't see them clearly, he was pretty sure that the dark grey matter behind the other's back was his wings.

The stranger tilted his head as he looked back at him, curiosity and coldness mixing in his large eyes - they were ice-blue, the slit black pupil splitting the irises in half, and glimmered like gems on the paleness of his face. "There is no hurry," he continued, voice low and a bit hoarse, as he curved the thin lips in a little smile, "and you have been through a … rough night. Your Majesty," he added at the end, after a moment of hesitation, lingering for a moment on the last word as it was foreign to his tongue.

King narrowed his eyes as he studied the Fairy, frowning. He didn't expect anyone to be there. _No one _was supposed to be. "Who are you?" He asked, shifting as he stretched his wings.

The other lifted a brow. "Didn't It show you?"

His eyes moved for a moment to the point right behind King's back - the Tree. Harlequin glanced briefly at the large trunk, pressing his lips in a line. The memories, images and information that It had given to him during the night had dovetailed perfectly in his mind, giving him a complete picture of what had been hidden to him _for centuries - _and what he had to do to fix it. Yet, for a couple of seconds, he couldn't remember anything about the Fairy who sat in front of him. After a moment, he decided that he had definitely never seen him, it wasn't a sight he would have easily forgotten. Unless … He blinked, an idea working its way in his mind. The Tree, as powerful as It was, had no eyes, no ears, only magic coursing into the wood. But It didn't need them. Its children were Its eyes and ears, the hands through which It could exert Its touch on the world. It still wasn't clear to King how exactly it was possible, yet it seemed like It could take whatever It wanted from their minds. The reason he wasn't able to recognize the man in front of him was that he wasn't in the memory the Tree had shown him because - because they were _his _memories. "You," he said, slowly, "you are the one who took the seed."

The man smiled, pale lips parting to show the little, sharp teeth - yet, there was no joy in his eyes. A spark of pride, maybe, drowning in a pool of something darker. "I am," he said, "I took it to safety." He paused, his smile fading. "No one else could."

"I know," King nodded, clenching his jaw as he remembered - the feeling of losing everything, without any chance to stop it and save anyone, still lingered in his heart, burning and sickening. "But how could you survive? Even if you had managed to hide from the -" he hesitated for a second, unsure how to call them - the _others _, murmured a whisper in his mind, but even after what he saw, he couldn't bring himself to consider his Fairies like that. "From them," he hurried finally, joining his hands, his eyes not leaving the other man, "it happened -"

"A long time ago, apparently," the Fairy stated, shrugging weakly as a line appeared between his brows. "It showed me, you know? The long centuries It spent here, hiding and waiting, slowly growing and recovering Its power drop by drop, knowing that it wouldn't ever be enough. Until It felt you." He tilted his head, his cold eyes wandering over King, lingering for a couple of seconds on his wings. "Gods," he grinned, "you are even more powerful than that monster."

King exhaled, crossing his arms. He knew exactly who the man was referring to, and even though at that moment his feelings about Gloxinia were conflicted - Gods, he could still feel fear turning his blood into ice at the thought of how the former Fairy King had killed and killed dozens of his similars - he wouldn't have let anyone talking like that about him. Not after what he did for him. "You didn't answer my question," he pointed out, straightening his spine, "how did you survive?"

"Isn't that obvious? It saved me," the Fairy's eyes moved once again on the Tree, something warm finally flickering in his gaze. "How It did, I don't know," he added before King could speak, "what I remember, is digging the ground with what I had, my magic, my hands, because I didn't have another choice. I remember sinking in the darkness of the earth until the ground started falling over me, until I couldn't move, until I couldn't breathe because the dirt was the only thing reaching my lungs. I was dying. But It saved me."

"Why?" The question slipped through his lips before King could think of a better way to ask it; he closed his mouth, regretting the scepticism clearly audible in his voice, then opened it again as he tried to find a way to reformulate his query. The Fairy didn't seem to care, though. His chest trembled, a creaking sound coming out from his grinning mouth. It made King stiffen and glance worryingly at him before he realized it was a laugh. "It needed my magic to grow, of course. It was fragile and powerless, at first, and I was the only being that could nourish Its seed." He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before smiling, a hand gently landing on the root. "It needed me alive, for that. I've saved It a second time, and for that, I believe, It spared my life."

King stared at him, lips pressed in a line. This, the Tree hadn't shown him. Yet, as he shifted to briefly glance at the trunk behind his back, he felt, like a knowledge that had resided into his mind and that was now unlocked, that it had been necessary. The Tree had to survive - and its best chance was to nourish from the Fairy that now sat in front of him. "But now, It doesn't need me anymore," the man continued, his eyes shifting on King, "It has become strong enough. And It got you."

"I know," the Fairy King nodded, holding his gaze. The Tree had told him as well, with Its language made of images and whispers, about how much It had needed someone like him, about how long It had spent hiding from the other Clans and the constant watch of the Sacred - the _other _Tree. Waiting for a chance to make things right, frozen in Its watch. Until that chance had come - just two years before, when It had felt King's power awakening, a beacon of hope after all that time. But, Harlequin thought, this was not the moment to analyze all the memories he had now in his head. What mattered was that he finally knew the truth, and more than that, he had a purpose.

The Fairy's stare was still fixed on him, his eyes narrow and calculating, as he silently waited for King's next move. Unable to hold back, Harlequin released his power, gently brushing against the other's mind, not quite reading his thoughts but close enough to feel what he was feeling. He wasn't surprised when he met a cold wall of suspicion and fear of not knowing, exactly, what to expect - though, under the curtain of distrust, there was fascination too, and hope. It was understandable. The last thing this man had seen was his people and home being destroyed by King's Clan, and even now, that he could feel that King was now like him, he couldn't simply forget. The Fairy King heaved a sigh; for now, the other man was his only ally. Hopefully, he would have won his trust. "What's your name?" He asked, suddenly, putting his hands on his knees.

The Fairy blinked, surprise flashing in his eyes, almost like he wasn't expecting to be asked that. Silently, he studied King for another couple of seconds, then his mouth twitched. "My name, Your Majesty, is Coremorn," he said, nodding his head in the imitation of a bow, "and since the Dark Tree chose you, I am your servant."

"Coremorn," King repeated, ignoring the last remark. "And you know, I presume, what we have to do."

Something sparked in his ice eyes, his slit pupils barely widening, "The Tree didn't wake me up for nothing, your Majesty."

"Good." The Tree hadn't shown him only memories when he had changed. Something like the seed of an idea had been planted in his mind, and even though King had still not clear how exactly he would have acted, he knew what was his objective. Having someone to help him, someone who most likely knew the Tree more than he did, was comforting. He glanced once again at the creak on the ceiling; his eyes had gotten used to the light of the cave, yet for a moment they stung and he furrowed his brows and wrinkled his nose. How long had he been there? Without seeing the sun, he couldn't be sure, but it was certainly already morning.

"Take it slow," he heard Coremon say, "our eyes get used to the light, but it takes time. They work better in the darkness."

"Why so?" King asked, turning towards the other Fairy as he flinched a brow.

Coremorn shrugged, amusement flickering in his eyes. "My people used to call It the Dark Tree," he said, eyeing the large trunk, "but it has never been because of Its colour. It's because It doesn't need the sunlight, It can grow in the murk under the earth. We are Its children," he continued, glancing at King, "we don't need light either. That's why going outside is always … unpleasant, at first." He set his lips in a line, as he was remembering the feeling. "Our eyes are not made for the light."

"Alright." King paused for a moment, the words sinking in his mind; it felt weird, to be so sensitive even to the dim light inside the cave, and he would have needed time to get used to the idea. But now he had no time for this. His eyes moved again on the ceiling, as he impatiently fluttered his wings. "Can you fly?"

With the corner of his eyes, he could see the Fairy lift his brows. Coremorn blatantly lowered his gaze on his body, his wings weakly shifting behind him. "Right now, your Majesty?" He asked sceptically, looking up to meet King's eyes. "I wouldn't go far, I can barely stand. I've started to recover my magic, but I need more time."

King nodded, not surprised; if he focused, he could feel Coremorn's magic, but it felt weak like a light layer of mist floating above the grass, so faint that he was surprised the man was even conscious. Maybe, he decided, that was for the best. Maybe, it would have been better if he had been alone. He clenched his muscles and pushes against his hands, standing up. His legs ached but the pain was quick to disappear, leaving his muscles a bit numb but functioning. He heaved a sigh when he finally spread his wings, the tight know that had been his back immediately relaxing. Energy coursed through his body, and he curled his fingers, impatiently flapping his wings, the need to fly almost pulling him toward the shred of sky he could see beyond the crack. When he glanced at Coremorn again, he was still sitting, observing him and waiting, his eyes lingering on his wings, unable to hide the wonder. "You will wait here, then."

"What?" The Fairy blinked, looking startled, "Where are you going?"

Harlequin took a moment before answering, a tangle of mixed feeling suddenly weighing on the centre of his chest. He swallowed hard and breathed in before answering, "I am coming back. To the Fairy King's Forest." To his people. To Diane. The thought made him feel sick. Not the one of seeing his wife, of course, he ... he _missed _her and needed to fix things between them - but finally, _finally_, he would have been able to explain everything and apologize for how he had made her feel, to show her that it was necessary. They would have been fine. They _had _to be.

No, Diane wasn't the problem, she was rather the only thing that made his heart sing. The problem was _them_. His people. His Fairies. The same that he had protected for so long, believing so strongly that they were better, innocent, _different_. Different from the humans, who had always killed each other over futile reasons, blinded by their neverending greed. Different from the Giants, for whom fighting was like second nature - for honour, stubbornness, money. Different from the Goddesses and the Demons, who had slaughtered each other until exctintion, not even minding who could have been caught in the middle. Fairies weren't warriors. They didn't fight among themselves, they would have never. Gods, they had even avoided contacts with the other Clans for three thousand years after the Holy War, trying to forget about its horrors. They were - they were _united_. Or so he had thought until the Tree had shown him the truth. The mere thought made his gut clench, sickness closing his throat. What he had seen hadn't even been a fight, it had been a massacre, a genocide with no chance of salvation. _His _people, his precious, innocent people had been the one killing half the Fairy Clan. Then, they had hidden the truth under layers and layers of lies, in the form of a children story, something that for him and the other young Fairies had never been more than a myth, so far and ancient that it had lost all meaning.

Of course, Harlequin knew that the ones who had committed that atrocity were long dead, yet he couldn't help but shiver at the thought that the people he loved and protected were born from the same force as their ancestors - the Sacred Tree, he thought, nauseated. He wondered if It could push them to do something like that again. That would have been a problem - but this time, he was there. And he wouldn't have allowed anything like this to happen.

"The Fairy King's Forest?" Coremorn repeated slowly, furrowing his brows. "You mean the forest above? The other one?" Probably he read something in King's eyes because even before he could answer, he abruptly shook his head, hissing, "That's an awful idea."

"I have to come back," King replied, crossing his arms, "I understand that you don't like them," the burst of hate he could perceive coming from Coremorn's heart made it clear that 'not like them' was a quite reductive way to express his feelings, "but I am still Fairy King. Their protector. And I can't simply disappear as - " _As I did _. He swallowed, feeling guilt gripping his chest with its sharp claws. After the old Fairy King's Forest had burnt because of him, he had sworn he would have taken care of his people, and yet he had simply left, leaving the Forest exposed. It had been necessary, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he shifted, clearing his throat. "Besides," he added, glancing at Coremorn, "we can't simply stay here. This place is not safe enough. Our best option would be to return in the Fairy Realm, and at this point the only way to access it -"

"Do you think they will let you in?" Coremorn's voice had become a low growl that seemed to come out directly from the bottom of his chest; his narrowed eyes were still fixed on King, the ice of his irises seeming to glow with anger. "Do you really believe that they will simply accept what you have become? You are not like them anymore. You'll be lucky if they won't try to kill you the moment they will see you."

"They would never do something like that!" King shook his head, clenching his jaw, "I _am _their king!" The words had barely left his lips when his body froze, cold paralyzing his muscles as he remembered how the Fairies, his Fairies, had reacted when he had returned to the Forest for the first time after his disappearance. The rocks scratching his skin, leaving it burning and bleeding, the rage in their eyes and faces as they ordered him to leave because he had betrayed them, leaving his home in the clutches of a Demon. The shame and self-hatred so strong that he could barely move, his breath halted in the back of his throat. _No _. King gritted his teeth as he swallowed dryly. This was a different situation. They had no reason to treat him like that again - they wouldn't have. _They wouldn't _. And Diane - Diane would have been with him, as always. He had no reason to be afraid.

"You are _our _king now!" Coremorn snapped. "You are bounded to the Dark Tree! You are not theirs anymore."

"I can be both," King stubbornly replied, shaking his head as to chase those unpleasant memories out of his head. "I'm not going to abandon them, Coremorn - and I'm not going to abandon you. Once they'll know what really happened to your people, they will understand, and my friends can help -"

"They will not." Coremorn pressed his lips together, his pupils narrow, his gaze almost burning on King's skin. "They hated us, back then. They _destroyed _us. And you think that this time it would be different?" Suddenly, a dry, derisive laugh shook his body. "They will look at you and see a monster. Maybe - maybe not immediately because they will still want to believe that, after all, you are still only theirs. But as soon as they will understand what you are not, they won't be able to hold back. They will attack you and look for me and destroy everything I've helped preserve. I will not risk this!"

King closed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek; it didn't matter how hard he tried not to see them, the memories of the burning trees, the blood stained wood and the broken corpses hanging from the branches like forgotten puppets stormed in his mind, making his breath stop. _No_. _No_, he thought, as he inhaled sharply and forced his eyes open again. He wouldn't have let fear stop him. Coremorn didn't know how the Fairies were now. King did, and it didn't matter what they had done in the past, he would have trusted them. Or at least, he would have given them a chance. "I am not asking for your permission," he coldly said after a moment, "I am coming back. But I promise you, whatever will happen - and I can assure you that they will not attack me - I will protect you, and the Tree. I will not let them hurt you, never again."

Coremorn opened his mouth, but he didn't speak, apparently realizing that his words would have done nothing. He clenched his jaw then, shaking his head. "You are going to put us in danger," he finally muttered. "They will not react as you think. When you'll come back, if you will, don't say I didn't tell you."

King sighed. Fighting with Coremorn was the last thing he wanted to do, and it was obvious that he wouldn't have changed his mind. The only way was to show him how wrong he was. "I will be back soon," he promised, "just the time to explain to them what happened - and what will happen. I will come back for you."

Coremorn pressed his lips together, hard enough to make them pale even more, but nodded, "I hope you will, your Majesty."

King nodded back and shifted but hesitated before taking flight. Then, suddenly, he moved his hand, freeing his magic. The earth under the roots trembled slightly before cracking, a bud sprouting from the ground. Coremorn gasped and looked down, his eyes widening as he observed with curiosity the little plant turning into a sapling, the branches spreading and finally covering with little round fruits. With a movement of his hand, King picked a handful of them and made it float until they fell on Coremorn's lap.

"Eat," he said when the Fairy looked up to meet his eyes, lips parted in an astonished expression. "You are starving. I can feel it."

Coremorn's gaze dropped on the fruits, and slowly he wrapped his fingers around one of them, lifting it and examining its dark peel. "How did you do this?" He asked, glancing at King, voice still full of wonder.

"The seed was already there," King shrugged, "somewhere in the depths of the ground. Maybe the wind took it here, but it couldn't grow, not without nourishment and light. I simply used my magic to make it happen faster. That's what I can do."

Coremorn took a moment to observe him, the fruit still tight in his hand. "Well, Your Majesty," he slowly said, the corners of his mouth barely turning up, "The Dark Tree couldn't have chosen better when It found you."

Not knowing how to answer, King simply nodded before murmuring one last time, "I'll be back soon." He didn't wait for a reply before taking flight, head lifted towards the light blue of the piece of sky he could see through the crack. He was there in the blink of an eye, hesitating only for a moment before finally leaving the cave, without looking back.

Outside it was even more bright than what he thought. King squeezed his eyes, refusing to close them again, and stubbornly flew up in the sky, breathing deeply the fresh hair. His gaze immediately dropped on the tree line of Fairy King's Forest, green and alive in contrast with the scrawny wood under him. He refused to look at it, not so soon after he had discovered what had happened there. The seconds he took to rapidly fly over the dead land seemed to last forever - then, finally, the Forest's cool embrace enveloped him and he halted, letting out a sigh; in the half-light under the leaves and the branches, he felt safe, his facial muscles relaxing as he opened his eyes wide. He was alone. There was no Fairy insight, and when he focused to search for them, he frowned, realising that even though he could still feel their presence all around the Forest, most of them had gathered not too far from the passage to the Fairy Realm. Diane was there too, he noticed, a smile forming on his lips, and - _Oh_. He blinked, surprise rapidly turning into excitement. He wasn't expecting his sister and Ban to be there, but maybe it was for the best. He would have explained the truth to them as well, and then, all together, they would have made things right. His wings flapped as he grinned, then finally he launched himself between the trees, impatience pushing him to go faster, a laugh shaking his chest. Soon, he thought, soon everything would have fallen into place.


	9. Chapter 9: Not one of us

_**A/N**_: Oh wow, it's been so long since the last chapter! I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, the last months haven't been easy. In the meanwhile, the manga went on and most of what established in this story is not canon anymore. I'm not going to change anything: Escanor will stay alive, and so Arthur even though without the, uhm, expedient used in the manga and some other things will be different. I hope you'll still enjoy!

I have some people to thank in this chapter too, first of all Redworld96, who is still so kind and supportive even though I'm one of the slowest writers ever. She made the cover for this chapter ( redworld96/art/Facing-the-present-The-Cursed-Tree-Chapter-9-833707872) as well, it's amazing! You should totally check on her work. I also thanks Trig, who beta read this chapter and helped me getting of some silly mistakes.

I also wanted to thank AnnaK, who is an amazing artist and a lovely person and who drew a fanart for this fic (you can find it here: post/189301104886/this-is-a-fancover-b-from-a-really-good-fanfiction). She is incredible! You can find her works on Tumblr and Deviantart.  
And of course, thanks to all the ones who commented on this story and the ones who keep reading even though I'm so slow.

Sorry for the super long author notes, and I hope you'll like this chapter! Let me know what you think about it!

* * *

_**Chapter IX: Not one of us **_

Flying was liberating. King took another deep breath, eyes half-closed as he shot through the trees, allowing his wings to stretch properly and the rest of his body to do the same. It still amazed him that it felt like everything was back to normal, the power he has gotten used to cursing once again through his veins. Yet, something had changed too, something he couldn't quite point out but that insistently lingered in the back of his mind. Perhaps, he thought as he opened an eye to gaze at the ground, it was his bond with the Fairy King's Forest. It was still there, as usual, but it felt numb and more difficult to read than before. He should have expected it, as his bond with the Sacred Tree had been replaced with something else, but it still made him feel a bit lost, like something that had always been inside him, in his heart and mind, had suddenly disappeared.

He sighed, dismissing the thought; at the moment, other matters required his attention. Right in front of him, miles away and almost in the core of the Forest, was Diane, and with her were Elaine and Ban. A large smile was still painted on his lips - he couldn't wait to see them and to finally make things right. Yet, he couldn't help but start to feel a bit anxious about confronting all of them together. He had hoped to be able to talk with Diane alone, before discussing his plans with anyone else. He wanted - no, he _needed _\- to apologise and to finally explain to her why he had acted so differently. He needed to make her understand what he _had _to do. She still was his queen, if he hadn't ruined everything. His mouth set in a line and he shook his head, crossing his arms. Diane would have understood. Once she had known the whole story, she would have seen that he was doing the right thing. Dealing with Elaine and Ban, on the other hand, would have been harder. His sister's mind was probably filled with lies and wrong beliefs, and Ban would have followed her no matter that he didn't know what was at stake. King would have had to be careful. Gerheade was probably with them, and Gerheade -

He closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. Gerheade lied to him all his life. She lied to everyone. Part of him wanted desperately to believe that she simply didn't know the truth, that she told what she thought was right and never questioned it. But was it possible? Could she really not know? Could she ... His eyes snapped open and he pushed the thought away. He would have known only when he had talked to her, and for now, he had to focus on what he would have said. He should have probably started with an explanation of what had happened to him in the past few weeks and then he would have told them - Diane and Ban and Elaine and everyone who would have been there to listen - what had really happened millennia before to the Fairies who lived under the earth and to their Tree.

As he reflected, his gaze wandered over the grassy ground of the Forest under him and the tangles of roots sinking in the earth, partly covered by the shrubs growing around the trunks. Then, suddenly, he saw them. King furrowed and abruptly slowed down. Until now, as he advanced into the Forest, he met no Fairy. He thought it was because he was still quite close to the borders - even though they were safe as the rest of the wood, his people seemed to prefer to stay close to the centre. But maybe he was simply looking in the wrong direction. The Fairies were laying on the ground, close to a large trunk, their bodies still and eyes closed; from where he was, King could count three of them, two males and a female, and at first he thought they were asleep. He couldn't push himself to keep flying, though. There was something weird in their pose. Fairies fell asleep almost everywhere in the Forest, most of them had never even seen a bed, but those three ... it seemed like they had fallen in the ground, exhausted, without even trying to look for a better spot. Hesitating, he glanced towards the direction he was flying - Diane and the others were still there - but finally, he sighed and descended towards the ground. He couldn't simply let those Fairies there. The night before had changed him, but he was still the Fairy King, and his duty was to take care of his people.

They didn't wake up when he landed, nor when he walked between their bodies, studying them with furrowed brows. They looked distressed, even in their sleep, but at least, they didn't seem wounded. King pressed his lips together, uncertain, then let his power flow and cross the boundaries of his mind. Reading the heart of a sleeping person could be tricky. Their thoughts tended to follow inexplicable paths and usually, they didn't have anything to do with what was happening around them. But he had to try, at least to check that they weren't in pain.

As soon as he looked inside their hearts, fear hit King like a cold wave, fear and panic and confusion, almost making him stumble back. He squeezed his eyes and swallowed, trying not to let the negative feelings overpower him. Something had happened, the night before. Something bad. He was sure about this, yet he found himself unable to find out what exactly had happened, as he searched in the Fairies' minds. He caught glimpse of a night spent flying without a purpose, an endless scream in his ears - or was it in his head? Inside another Fairy's heart, he found the absolute certainty that something terrible had happened to the Sacred Tree. Blinking, he paused and took his chin between his fingers. _Of course_, it had to do with the Sacred Tree. Of course, it would have felt what had happened the night before and reacted - though King still didn't understand what exactly It tried to do. But of something he was sure. _It hurt them. _He gritted his teeth, glaring towards North, where the entry for the Fairy Realm was. _t hurt my Fairies_. It scared them, in the worst moment possible - when he wouldn't have been there for them. Anger and embitterment burnt like acid in his stomach. It shouldn't have done that. It shouldn't have involved them too. Whatever It wanted to do, it just made King more eager to finally reach it and tear Its core with his bare hands.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost jumped when a gasp broke the silence. One of the Fairies, a young male who lied with his back against the nearest trunk, had his eyes wide open and fixed on King. He whined when their gazes met and tried to shrink back, scratching the large roots of the tree with his fingers. "It's alright," King said slowly, raising his hands to show him his palms, "I'm here to help. How are you feeling?"

Obviously, the man was terrified. His eyes moved rapidly over King's body, pupils large and covering almost all the light blue of the irises. "Stay back," he finally yelped, stumbling when he tried to stand up, "Stay back!"

"Alright," King stood still, furrowing his brows. At his right, another Fairy moved, but he kept his eyes on the young man, trying to understand why he was suddenly so afraid. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just worried. What happened to you?"

"What -" The Fairy swallowed, briefly glancing up as he wanted to take flight, but after taking a quick look at Harlequin he seemed to change his mind. Maybe he finally realised that there was no need to be scared, King thought with a sigh. "Who are you?"

The question froze him. Speechless, he stared at the man - he looked back, eyes wide, and King noticed that he was shaking, just a slight tremor of his legs and shoulders. He probably hit his head, he thought; he fell and hit his head and now he was simply confused. There was no other way he couldn't have recognised his own king. Harlequin couldn't say he knew well every single Fairy, but he was fairly sure that they knew him, or at least, how he looked like. He had been their king for more than a thousand years, and after he finally came back to his Forest he had worked hard to make the Fairies understand that he was there for them, to be, finally, the king they needed. There was no way this man didn't know him. "I - it's me," he finally said, "Harlequin. The Fairy King."

The man didn't change his expression, though a flash of confusion rapidly passed in his eyes. King frowned. Could he have hit his head? There was no sign of trauma, but maybe he should have used Pollen Garden, just to be safe.

"You are not the Fairy King."

The voice rising from his side took him by surprise and finally, he looked away from the terrified man. The two Fairies who were sleeping on the ground were now wide awake. The female stood straight, even though she looked exhausted, and shielded the boy behind her with her body; he was crouching on the ground and stared at King with confusion and fear.

Feeling his stomach twitching, Harlequin glared at the woman, "Of course, I am!" Whatever had happened to these Fairies, it probably confused their minds, that was the only possible explanation - and he wasn't sure he could _cure _this. The Sacred Tree did it. He clenched his jaw. Of course, the Sacred Tree wanted to make things complicated, messing with his people's minds and memories, but this wouldn't have stopped him. "I am the Fairy King Harlequin," he repeated, joining his hands behind his back, "perhaps it's hard for you to remember it right now but -"

"I know how the Fairy King looks like," the woman shot, narrowing her eyes, "and it's not like you." She stood her ground, but her breath was heavy and her fists clenched. King could see it in her tensed muscles, in her dilated pupils, in the way her legs trembled, no matter how hard she tried to stay still. She was _terrified_. And he still couldn't understand why. Barely holding back his irritation - this was making him lose much more time than what he thought at first - he closed his eyes for a moment. He knew he shouldn't have been at that woman, nor at her companions, they had no fault in whatever the Sacred Tree made to them. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind. There had to be a way to convince them, right? "I -"

"What kind of Fairy are you even?"

King's eyes darted on another pair of Fairies at his left; he didn't notice them approaching. Behind them, he could see others, not many but enough to form a small group, observing him through the branches. He stiffened under their inquisitive look. It was like they were pondering what to do with him, trying to decide if he was a threat or not. "What are you talking about?" He hated how much his voice sounded unsure. This wasn't the moment to have doubts, it was the moment to remind these Fairies who was their king. "How can't you recognise me? I'm the Fairy King!"

"You are not one of us." The man who only a few moments before had been flattening against the tree, too terrified to even try to escape, stood bold now, next to the other woman. The fact that he wasn't alone anymore made him brave. "No Fairy has eyes like that."

What was wrong with his _eyes _now? King gazed at the other Fairies, but in their hostile looks, he couldn't find an answer. It took less than a second to decide what to do then, and so he let go. Once again, he let his power free to explore their minds and hearts. Heart reading wasn't that common even among the Fairies, and Harlequin knew that many didn't find at ease with this ability. He tried hard not to constantly use it, leaving his people the privacy of their thoughts - but _right now _he had to know what was happening. The answer was disconcerting. One by one, he looked in the heart of the Fairies that were now surrounding him, but the mental image he found was always the same. The person all those Fairies were looking at was him - and yet, it wasn't, not exactly. It surely wasn't the same Harlequin who left the Forest.

For a moment, King focused only on his reflection in their mind, forgetting at all about the Fairies. His wings were ... different. Large as before, their veins and margins shone in a rich dark orange, the colour contrasting with the matt purple of the rest of the wings. His hair was darker too - he felt silly for not noticing before. The eyes that stared back at him under furrowed brows were different too, and they almost made him uneasy. The amber of his irises had become more yellowish, cut by a dark vertical pupil. They looked like the eyes of a wild animal, more than the ones of a Fairy - and, he realised, they were the reason why the light had been so hard to bear. He closed his eyes for a moment, his breathing fastening. He knew he changed, he could feel it from the moment he woke up in the cave, and he knew it was necessary. He didn't regret it. Yet ...

The physical appearance was nothing, especially not for a Fairy who could change it without any problem, but he couldn't repress a shiver. It felt alienating, almost like his old self had died in that cave, so that this stranger could rise. There was nothing King could do, though, if not accepting it, as he already accepted the way his magic mutated. His heart slowed down and he exhaled, opening his eyes. He would have accepted this too, of course - and besides, he didn't change that much, his features were still the same. And yet, all he met were cold and fearful stares. What the Fairies were seeing was scaring them to death. King could feel their fear enveloping their hearts like a thick mist, their distrust and repulsion cold as ice on his skin. They were scared because he looked different. And they wanted him to go away - just because of his appearance. _Exactly like Coremorn said_.

_No. _Harlequin shook his head. No, he was being unfair and precipitous. Those Fairies feared him because they couldn't understand who he was and what he wanted. Everything would have changed once he had the chance to explain to them what happened. Then they would have been more open to accepting him, and so the changes he was about to make. "I am the Fairy King," he repeated quietly, staring back at them without flinching, not even when one of them shook his head and another snorted, sceptical. "I can't tell you now what happened to me, I'm sorry, but I promise that soon everything will be clear! I have to speak with someone else first, but please, wait for me. I will explain to you too."

He didn't wait for an answer. He didn't know if he would have received one and anyway, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. Looking up, he spread his wings and launched in the air, leaving the group of Fairies behind. He didn't look back, but he could almost feel their eyes on his back and their suspicion following him. Harlequin heaved a sigh. This didn't go well, not at all, but surely, not all the Fairies would have been so hostile. It would have gone better with the next groups, he mused, relaxing his shoulders.

He was wrong.

* * *

Diane sighed and fought the urge to pass a hand on her face, forcing her eyes to stay open and focused on the map traced on the ground. Exhaustion started to weigh on her shoulders like a cloak of lead. Yet she wouldn't have rested, she _couldn't_, not until they found Harlequin. She wouldn't have been able to sleep without knowing that he was safe anyway, and the only thought of stopping looking for him made her feel nauseous. No, resting was out of the question. She couldn't abandon her husband and she couldn't abandon her people. She raised her gaze to look at them. Fairies sat on the branches of the high trees, most of them still looking exhausted, but they were there and determined to find their king. They were not as many as Diane hoped, but Gerheade told her that the others would have been more a burden than a help in their research, their minds still too shaken from the night before.

And between the trunks, there were the Giants. As she looked at them, something inside her chest seemed to loosen. She knew all the ones who gathered around the map by name, from the young, nervous Mareene to the older Oborn, whose hair was starting to whiten - something so rare among Giants, in those times. Diane had asked Matrona to take care of the recruitment and to offer the possibility to help all the ones who desired to do so, and her heart was filled with relief when she saw how many of them had answered her call, even though it wasn't a proper order. Of course, she had decided not to inform _everyone _about the current situation. She still didn't trust Gonf and his group to take part in the researchers nor to even know what her next moves would have been. Maybe nothing would have happened, but she wouldn't have taken the risk, not now that King was so weakened. Matrona had taken care of it, thankfully, and left a couple of trusted warriors keeping an eye on them.

Matrona herself was squatting on the ground and discussing the last details with Gerheade. The most had been already decided, the groups formed and the Forest divided into sections that every team would have explored. Diane should have listened, but eventually she sighed, letting her eyes wander on the map instead. She had traced it herself with Gerheade's help, using her control over the earth to draw lines and circles on the turf while King's advisor guided her hands, adding details here and there. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't supposed to be, but Diane could clearly distinguish the clearing where they were now, gathered around the tree that guaranteed the entrance to the Fairy Realm. Not much far away was marked the point where she and King talked the last time. From what they knew, it was the last place he was seen. Diane had to force her eyes away from it.

The map was not there to be admired, she reminded herself, nor to make her drown herself in regret and self-pity. Its only purpose was to better organise the researchers. She had felt almost stupid when Ban had proposed to divide into groups to better search the Forest, remembering her erratic wandering in the darkness the night before. She couldn't have involved the Fairies anyway, but if only she had stopped a moment to think, if only she had been more precise in her researches, if -

A gentle touch on her finger made her raise her eyes. Elaine looked back, features pale for tiredness and anxiety, and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Don't be too hard on yourself," she whispered, loud enough for Diane to hear her but not to draw anyone's attention, "you couldn't know this would have happened and you did your best." She paused, her smile vanishing, and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "We will find him. He is not dead, and he can't be gone too far. We _will _find him." Determination shone in her eyes when she looked at Diane again.

Diane stared at the tiny Fairy floating over her hand and breathed in, holding back her tears. "We will," she said, and her voice didn't tremble. She managed to force a smile. "Thank you."

Elaine's words couldn't change the fact that she felt guilty - of not noticing how truly dangerous King's condition was, of letting him go without even trying to stop him - but it was good to know that she didn't resent her for letting her brother disappear once again. Elaine nodded seriously, before flying back to Ban. He was standing on the ground, studying the map, but seemed to feel her approaching and turned around to smile at her and envelop her with an arm, pulling her closer. Diane studied them for a moment; she was so relieved to have them with her. Telling them about what had happened had been almost easy, words spilling from her mouth like water that suddenly found a creak in a dam, and at the same time, it had been hard. She had to face Elaine's anguish and fears, that had only grown when she had told her about King's sudden change of personality, his nightmares, his rapid loss of power. Neither Elaine knew what could have caused it - _of course, she didn't _, Diane thought, heaving a sigh. Then, they discussed what to do. Ban was the one who started asking her questions she could finally answer, like where she had seen King the last time and where they already looked for him. Eventually, she had found herself discussing with the couple, Gerheade and Matrona, about research groups and how to divide the Forest. And finally, she had the chance to make order in her mind after the chaos that had been the night before.

Her eyes finally left her friends, returning to the map. They decided to divide the Forest into ten sectors, using a radial pattern, and even though its surface was enormous, the ten groups that would have searched it should have been numerous enough to cover their area, or a large part of it, before dusk. It was unlikely that King had ended up on the opposite side of the Forest from where Diane had seen him the last time, but like that, they would have made sure to look everywhere in the woods Whatever direction King had taken, they would have found him. Only one group wouldn't have searched in the Fairy King's Forest. Diane glanced briefly at the tree standing in the centre of the clearing, its huge roots skimming the edges of the map. It was the one the Fairies used as a passage towards the Fairy Realm, and that was the place where Gerheade would have taken her small group of Fairies. Diane bit her lip. The woman had been clear: the Fairy Realm was vast, so vast that not even all the Fairies could hope to scour it completely, nor, she admitted, they would have wanted. There were strange places, in the Fairy Realm, places that most of the Fairies wouldn't have visited without the protection of their king. And the ones who lived there were not always the most friendly ones within their Clan. Gerheade doubted that King would have gone in the Fairy Realm, not after his obvious efforts to avoid the place and the Sacred Tree, and Diane agreed, but they couldn't leave it out of their research. At least, an attempt would have been made.

"Diane." She blinked and looked up. Gerheade herself floated in front of her, holding her wand with both her hands. "We are ready. If you … if you want to say something else," she added, her voice tired but gentle.

Diane nodded and rose; looking around, she could embrace all the clearing with her gaze. Fairies and Giants looked back at her, eyes full of expectation. She clenched her fits, lips set in a line. She couldn't look desperate or hopeless, not now. "Thank you all for offering your help," she began; there was no time for better thanks, but she hoped that they could understand how much she meant it. "Remember that now," she continued, turning to the reason why they were all there, "the Fairy King is extremely weak. This means that you will not be able to sense him, but also that he can't have gotten far. You will have to look in every creak and on every branch, but we will find him. He has to be somewhere."

Many of the Giants nodded and Diane exhaled slowly, confidence growing inside her. Elaine was right, she had to be. With all this help, they would have found Harlequin, and maybe in a few hours, she could have been holding him again. "If we don't find anything," a young Giant asked, "will we have to cross the borders?"

Diane hesitated and glanced at Gerheade, who looked back at her and barely shook her head. The decision was up to Diane. Turning again towards the Giant, she nodded, "You can explore the borders, but don't go too far. I doubt Harlequin was able to fly much in that state, he is probably still in the Forest. And if you leave - stay in groups and stay focused on the researchers."

"What if we meet humans?" This time the voice came from a tiny Fairy who was sitting on a branch, not far from Gerheade.

"I …," Diane furrowed her brows, taking a moment to think about her answer. Considering the way Harlequin had spoken about Humans lately, she doubted he would have sought their company. "Ask them if they saw a young boy in the surroundings of the Forest," she said finally.

Even if Harlequin had avoided them, some of the Humans who lived near to the Forest could have noticed something, and now they needed all the help they could find. "Maybe don't mention that the Fairy King went missing," Ban added, shrugging, "it's better to keep this for us for now."

Diane nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could another voice rose in the clearing. "What if humans took him?" Diane glanced at Puora. His tiny wings were fluttering furiously as he looked around, clenching his fits in front of him. "What if they have him and they are ripping his wings right now and -"

"Puora!" Gerheade looked like she was about to throw up. She reached for the other Fairy, eyes narrow, and then she started to speak furiously, shutting him up. but Diane stopped listening.

_What if humans took him._

She didn't have to worry about it, did she? As far as she knew, it hadn't happened in centuries, mostly because Fairies had refused to leave the Fairy Realm for a very long time; even now, the most of them rarely left the Forest. Even though centuries had passed, it seemed like they all remembered perfectly what had happened the last time a Fairy had wrongly trusted a human. King didn't tell her about Helbram all in once. The truth about what had happened to him had come piece by piece, since the first time she asked how he knew him, shortly after they defeated Hendrickson in Liones. He finally opened up completely to her after she regained her memories, when she asked him why he didn't come back. Her stomach clenched painfully, remembering his expression when he told her about the moment when he found out Helbram and other Fairies had been captured, about when he finally reached the place where they had been held captive and what he found.

_Ripping his wings. _

"It was obvious that they did it carefully," he had whispered to her, and she cradled him in her hands, not too tight but enough to make him feel her presence, a sort of reminder that he wasn't there anymore, surrounded by bodies and blood, "the cuts were precise, the flesh around was barely ripped. Helbram told me they were slow and careful not to ruin the wings." She could feel his shiver against her skin. "They had been alive all the time, Diane. They were alive even after they lost their wings, Fairies aren't supposed to die for that. They died of blood loss because those humans didn't even bother bandaging their wounds. They simply left them there, bleeding, too much in pain to do anything else but cry. I will never forgive myself for not arriving on time."

_Ripping his wings._

In the blink of an eye the picture of him lying on the ground with blood covering his back and hollow eyes materialised in her mind. _No. _Diane swallowed, a bitter taste in her mouth, doing her best to push it away. _No_. She couldn't let her fears overcome her, not now. "No human took him," she heard her voice say. Gerheade and Puora both looked up at her, and so did the rest of the group. She gritted her teeth, and when she spoke again, her voice was firm. "Harlequin is alive, and that's all we need to know. The Humans who live around here know better than risking two Clans' rage just to get a pair of Fairy wings." She heard some hums of approval as she fell silent, taking a moment to breathe in and calm herself before continuing. "Keep your eyes open, though. If you see any evidence that he has been taken …" _I will take care of it_. Harlequin was the one who promised her that he would have protected her, and she would have done everything in her power to do the same for him. "If there are no more questions," she said then, looking around, "you can go."

There was something definitive in her voice and Fairies and Giants obviously perceived it. The Giants bowed their heads and the same did some Fairies, their wings fluttering nervously. Diane sighed when they started leaving, separated in the groups they had formed. She hadn't meant to sound so commanding, but Puora's words had unsettled her more than she would have wanted to admit. She needed this situation to be solved as soon as possible, and for that, she needed to think that King was safe. Maybe crouched between the roots of a tree, terrified and too weak to move, but _safe_. Matrona was among the last to go, and she reached for her before leaving, squeezing her shoulder and giving her an encouraging nod. When her small group disappeared in the woods, the only people left in the clearing with her were Ban, Elaine, Gerheade and the group of Fairies that was supposed to follow the king's counsellor in the Fairy Realm. "Alright," Ban said, stretching his arms, "time to go."

Elaine looked at Diane. She and Ban would have gone alone; they were more than enough, he reassured. Neither had Diane, anyway; with her connection to the earth, they would have probably just interfered. "We will meet her soon," the Fairy assured, glancing at Gerheade too. "And Harlequin will be with us."

Diane wanted to answer. She wanted to tell Elaine something as encouraging, to wish her good luck, to thank her and Ban to be there with her. But words got stuck in her throat. She was turning around even before she could process what was happening; the earth suddenly felt more alive than ever and ready to respond to her commands, her magic bursting inside her as she prepared to use it. Her wide eyes didn't find anything different than the silent wood, but she could _feel _it. Somewhere towards South, distant from her but close, too close to the Forest. _Magic_, she realised immediately, her heart racing. A source of magic had suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere near the borders.

"What the hell is that?" Ban's voice raised from her side and when she glanced at him, she saw that he was tense as well, his body ready to spring into action. "How did it get so close without us knowing?"

"I don't know," Diane answered to both the questions, barely shaking her head. This wasn't right. This power was too strong, strong enough to compete both with hers and Ban's - there weren't many people who could do that, and Diane had thought she knew them all. Not this one, not exactly. It was hard to say since it was still distant, but this magic felt strange, both foreign and somehow familiar. Where could she have felt something similar? It moved. Suddenly, it was coming closer, direct exactly towards them, and it was _fast_. "It's inside the Forest," she said through her teeth, turning around to look at her friends.

Ban nodded, instinctively pushing Elaine closer. The Fairy looked even paler than before, her hands holding tight Ban's shoulder. "I don't understand," she murmured under her breath, "I have never felt anything like this before. It's revolting." Diane lifted an eyebrow, but Elaine didn't offer an explanation; instead, she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. When she opened them, she looked determined. "Whatever this is, I'm not letting it lay a finger on this Forest," she said between gritted teeth.

"Of course not," Diane said, still confused by her reaction. Perhaps, she mused, refocusing her attention on the foreign magic, Elaine was thinking about what had happened the last time the Forest was attacked. Well, even though Harlequin was missing again, this time things would have gone differently. "We have to move;" she continued, glancing towards South. "If we are quick enough we should be able to intercept it before it gets too close to the centre. There are too many people here, we can't involve them if it comes to fighting."

And Harlequin could have been anywhere, she thought, clenching her jaw. Whatever this was, she wanted it to stay as far as possible from her husband. She would have kept it away from him - and from anyone else. Ban nodded quickly. "Gideon?"

"It's at home." Diane sighed. "There is no time to get it. But with the two of us together, it shouldn't be necessary."

"Let's go then," Elaine said, leaving Ban on the ground to take flight. "Gerheade, you should -" She started, turning around, but suddenly she stopped.

Diane blinked, surprised, and for the first time since she had perceived that foreign power she looked at King's advisor, realising that the Fairy had been extremely quiet. Gerheade was still in the air, gaze fixed towards South, not even glancing at the worried Fairies that encircled her and quietly called her name. She had probably let her wand fall because her hands were both empty, her arms by her side. But her expression was what concerned Diane the most. Gerheade looked like she had seen a ghost. Her wide eyes were filled with a visceral terror that Diane had never seen her show. "Gerheade?" Elaine tried again, a bit hesitant this time, "Are you alright?"

Suddenly, the woman blinked and seemed to break from her shock. Her eyes found Elaine but then she immediately turned around, facing the Fairies that were still flying around her with alarm. "Ende!" She shot, gesturing towards the pink-haired, "You take charge of this group. Alert the Fairies who are not busy in the research, if things go wrong I need you to take all of them in the Fairy Realm!"

Ende nodded quickly, eyes wide with surprise and opened her mouth as if to ask a question but Gerheade was already flying away. "We have to go," she said hurriedly as she reached Elaine, "we can't let that thing come closer!"

"Wait, you know what it is?" Ban asked, brows furrowed.

"I -" The Fairy stopped, taking a moment to breathe in, trying to calm herself. "I have felt something similar before," she finally admitted, "never like this, though. It's _too _strong. I'm probably wrong, but I have to make sure. We have to go now."

"What are you talking about?" Diane asked. She didn't like to see the Fairy King's advisor so shaken. Rapidly, she checked the source of magic, but it seemed to have slowed down - it was still somewhere near the borders.

"I'll explain as we go," Gerheade's gaze was almost desperate when she turned toward Diane, "but until we are not sure about what it is, we can't let it come closer to the entrance to the Fairy Realm."

"Gerheade -" Elaine started again, but the woman shook her head. "Please," she said, clenching her fists, "I'll go alone if I have to."

"As if you could leave us behind," Ban snorted, then reached for Elaine's shoulder. "We have to go now if we want to keep our advantage," he said to her softly. The Fairy frowned, still looking at Gerheade, but nodded.

Diane pressed her lips in a line. What Gerheade had to say could have been helpful. She didn't like the idea of running towards something she didn't know, especially not now, but the Fairy was right. They had to move. "Come here," she said, reaching for Gerheade with her hand. "I can carry you," she explained when the woman looked up, "We are all faster than you. It won't be a problem for me."

Carefully, Gerheade landed on her palm and grabbed her fingers. "Thank you," she said looking up, though her voice betrayed her anxiety. "Now -"

"Now," Ban interrupted her, turning around, "we go." The moment later, both he and Elaine were not there anymore. Diane gently cradled the older woman in her hand, taking her closer to her chest. "Tell me if there are any problems," she whispered to her. The strange magic didn't move much but it was still there, and Diane could perceive it clearly. It wasn't even trying to hide. Pushing the fear for King's conditions in the back of her mind, Diane started running. She wouldn't have let anyone threaten the home Harlequin and she had built.

* * *

Only some of the Fairies recognised him as he flew through the Forest. At first, Harlequin stopped when he met them to check if they were alright. His Fairies looked tired and shaken; they lied on the forest floor and on the trees' branches, looking too exhausted even to fly, but at least none of them seemed to be hurt. This didn't calm his rage. It still burned inside his chest like acid, flaring like fire after every encounter. The Sacred Tree was a god, but Harlequin knew from experience that gods were not invulnerable in front of their creation's fury.

Not only anger tormented him though. His flight towards home was a _nightmare_. Every time he stopped to make sure the Fairies were alright, they looked at him with fear, moving away from his touch, asking him who - _or what _\- he was. Some didn't believe he was really their king, it didn't matter what he said. It hurt, but not as much as seeing the pure horror in the eyes of the ones who believed him or who recognised him. They seemed to think that something horrible happened to him, that he needed help. _I don't need help_, he wanted to scream at them, but he knew it would have only scared them more. And so he left them behind with the promise that he would have come back to explain. They would have seen that he was alright, eventually. Soon, Harlequin stopped approaching them. He flew faster, eyes fixed on his destination, ignoring the surprised yells and gasps coming from the trees around him and from below. Their thoughts were everywhere though. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to stop reading their heart, but he found it hard to completely close his mind from them. Maybe it was because he was so distressed, maybe because he still hoped that someone among the Fairies wouldn't have been so scared, so biased towards him. Only one would have been enough. But there was no one.

_They will look at you and see a monster_, Coremorn said.

_They will change their mind_, King thought, clenching his jaw as he ignored another burst of astonished cries from the ground. But as he flew into the Forest, towards Diane and his sister and Ban, he couldn't stop doubt from making roots in the back of his mind.


	10. Chapter 10: Clash

**_A/N_**: Once again, it took way longer than expected, and I apologise, but the chapter is finally here! As always, thanks to the amazing Redworld96, who made the cover for this chapter (seriously, consider checking her other works out, they are very good!) and to Trig, who is a wonderful beta reader and friend. And thank you all, who still read this even though I'm so slow at updating. Thank you for every comment, I can't express how much happy they make me!

Let me know what you think about the chapter if you feel like! Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter X: Clash**_

"It's getting closer," Diane breathed between her teeth as she kept running.

In her hand, Gerheade barely nodded and tightened her grip on Diane's fingers. After they left the clearing, there had been no time to stop and let Gerheade explain why she was so scared. The foreign magic that had entered the Forest had started to move faster, clearly headed in their direction, forcing them to speed up to keep it away from the centre of the Forest. They had only stopped once, shortly after leaving, when they had met the group that was supposed to search this part of the Forest, to tell them to go back. At least, Diane thought with relief as she shot between the trunks, they wouldn't have been involved in a fight. _If _there would have been a fight, of course. Anxiety tightened its grip on her chest and she glanced at Gerheade once again. The Fairy's gaze was fixed straight ahead, her body stiffened and her wings perfectly still. Even without knowing what was going on in her mind, Diane was worried. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't cast out the feeling that something bad was about to happen. And _Gods _, Harlequin was still out there. Alone and powerless.

Biting her bottom lip, Diane hastened, careful to stay a few steps behind Ban. He ran in front of her, and in the air, between the branches, was Elaine, her wings spread. Once again, Diane felt relieved that they were there. She wouldn't have hesitated to fight alone for her people, but she wanted to make sure to limit the damages as much as she could. Nothing would have happened to the Fairy King's Forest, not as long as she was there.

As if she had heard her thoughts, Elaine turned around to nod at her, her light eyebrows furrowed in a determined expression. Maybe she really heard her, Diane mused as she nodded back. Elaine had always been good at reading hearts, and sometimes, she had admitted more than once, she forgot to hold back. Having her thoughts exposed like that always made Diane feel a bit self-conscious, and she suspected that this was the reason why Harlequin strived so much to control his powers. He had confessed to her that he didn't want to make her - or anyone else -feel uncomfortable. _Don't think about him! _She squeezed her eyes, taking a deep breath, relegating the thought of him in the back of her mind. She _had _to believe he was fine, so that she could have focused oh whatever was coming. _Any minute now _, she thought, returning her gaze on the expanse of trees in front of her. The magic was almost there. Frowning, she wondered if Elaine could read their heart already, whoever they were. She breathed in, preparing to ask her if she already felt something, when the Fairy appeared.

He came out of nowhere, speeding between the branches in the opposite direction to theirs. Elaine gasped when he almost collided with her and dodged him just in time, moving aside. The Fairy tried to pull away as well and seemed to stumble in the air, twirling without control. Diane rapidly reached for him, catching his tiny body in her hand before he crashed against a trunk. "Are you alright?" She asked as she took him closer to her face, without stopping to run, "You should fly more carefully!"

The Fairy looked up, hands pushed against her palm as he tried to stand up. Diane hesitated when she met his gaze: his eyes were wide, his skin as pale as snow. He _didn't _look alright. "Giant Queen," he panted, his breathing rapid and uneven, "he's coming! He - he says he is the Fairy King!"

"What?" Diane slowed down, feeling as her heart just jumped in her throat, "Did you find him?"

"Diane!" Ban called from the front, "There is no time for that, let him go!"

"He said he found King!" She yelled back, before focusing again on the Fairy. "Where is he?"

In the blink of an eye, Elaine was there too, floating around Diane's palm. "You found him?" She breathed, her eyes filling with surprise and hope.

Gerheade rose from Diane's other hand as well, finally some relief relaxing her features, "Thanks to the Gods."

The Fairy looked around, still panting, and swallowed as he nodded. He didn't look happy, nor relieved, Diane realised. He looked scared. "Is he alright?" She asked, her running now reduced to brisk walking. She tried to swallow, but her throat felt too sore.

The Fairy shook his head. "I don't know! He says he is the king but he ... he's not like he was before. He doesn't look like the king."

"What does this mean?" Ban shouted from the ground. He had slowed down too and now was running at Diane's side.

" _Where _is he?" Diane asked again, trying to keep her voice under control. This was what really mattered, she reminded herself, to find King - yet her heart drummed in her ears and she felt a bad taste in her mouth. She didn't like the Fairy's words, nor the tone of his voice. "Where is Harlequin?"

"I am here."

She felt like the world had stopped. Diane halted so abruptly that she almost ran over Elaine and Gerheade, but she barely checked if they were alright. As she looked up, she mindlessly registered that the Fairy had fallen in her hand again and that Ban had stopped as well. She didn't care. Not now that she had heard his voice.

It was him. Harlequin. He floated among the branches, in front of her, maybe twenty feet from her face. It _was _him. The sharp features of his face, the shape of his body and the large wings - she had admired them and traced them all with her fingertips, from his cheekbones to his back to the tips of his long fingers, so many times that she couldn't be mistaken. It was her husband. The way he looked at her, a relieved smile on his lips and eyes so full of affection and love that she felt a shiver across her body, left her no doubt. And yet, he _wasn't _him. His colours were different, from the yellow of the irises to the black of his hair - and the wings, she thought as her eyes travelled over his figure, his wings were _wrong _, their light, shiny colours replaced by a dark purple that reminded her of verbena flowers. She had never seen Fairy wings so dark in the years she had spent in the Forest, and besides, she was rather sure wings were not supposed to change colour.

He felt differently, too. Her Harlequin's magic had always felt calm, cool and tranquilising, like a lake in spring. What she felt now was more similar to the furious flow of rapids, to a sea shaken by a storm. There still was something of King but it was mixed with magic that she couldn't help but feel disturbing. This was, she realised, the same power they had felt entering the Forest. The same one they had run to meet, the same one Gerheade had looked so scared of. It was Harlequin, it had always been him. _For the Goddesses _, what had happened to him?

Finally, his smile widened as he tilted his head. "Diane," he said, and his voice seemed to break the spell that had immobilised the world around her. The sounds of the Forest returned to fill her ears, and so did the soft gasps of surprise of Elaine and Gerheade and a muffled curse from Ban. "It's so good to see you," Harlequin continued, flying closer to her.

Only then she fully realised he was bare chest; it made sense since he had grown again in his more powerful form, but how did he do that? He was running out of magic only some hours before! And yet, now she felt him as strong as he had been before his decline had started. "Harlequin," she breathed out, then she hesitated. She wanted to reach for him and to hold him closer, to feel his smooth wings and warm skin under her fingers, to cry and apologise and to never let him disappear like that again. She didn't, though. First, she needed answers. "Harlequin, what …"

"What the fuck, King." Ban blurted from her side.

"Ban!" King waved at him with a smile, "And Elaine!" He beamed at his sister when he finally looked at her and the soft affection in his eyes was so Harlequin like that for a moment, Diane could almost ignore the unnatural shape of his pupil. "I am so glad you visited! I'm sorry I couldn't welcome you, you arrived in - Ah, a complicated time."

Elaine watched as he came closer, frozen in the air with her wings spread and still. Diane couldn't see her face but she imagined she was looking at his brother with the same expression as her. Noticing that she wasn't flying to meet him, King stopped in midair, not much far from her and Gerheade, and tilted his head, obviously hesitating. "I ... I know I may look different, but it's alright, I promise you." When she didn't answer, he shifted in the air but didn't come closer and finally looked up, meeting Diane's eyes. "Diane I ... " He joined his hands behind his back, his lips pressed into a worried line, "I am so sorry. About what I said and what I did, I know I made you worry." It was obvious that it hurt him, what he did to her. Even though his eyes were different, Diane could read them easily, and the regret she saw in his gaze made her heart clench. "But I can explain now!" He continued with a sure nod, "I promise that everything will make sense."

"Harlequin, what happened to you?" Diane finally managed to ask, fighting to keep her hands by her side - _don't reach for him _, she told herself, _not yet _. "You look …"

"Different, I know." King nodded, glancing rapidly at his wings as he pressed his lips in a line. "I didn't realise this happened before I returned to the Forest. I've already scared some Fairies," he added, bitterly. Instinctively, Diane curled her fingers around the Fairy in her hand; he was still shaking, crouched on her palm, his head bent as he couldn't bring himself to look at his king. Had all the other Fairies reacted like that? "But it was necessary," Harlequin continued, "I … I think that to be able to carry this power, I had to turn into something different."

"What are you even talking about?" Ban asked warily, as Diane swallowed, clenching her free hand, "What power?"

"The Dark Tree's power," Harlequin answered simply. "I am bound to it, now."

"No!" Gerheade's voice came out like a muffled whine. She was still floating next behind Elaine and looked at Harlequin with her hands clenched against her chest. He froze at the sound of her voice, hesitating for a second before turning to look at her. He observed her with narrow eyes, no trace of warmth left.

"What a surprise, right?" He said quietly, tilting his head, "You thought it was burnt to the ground, didn't you?"

"I …" Gerheade shook her head. Her shoulders trembled following the rapid rhythm of her shallow breaths, and for a few moments, she seemed unable to speak. "I don't understand," she squealed finally, "How did it ... it was _gone _!"

Diane stared at Harlequin and his advisor, unsure what to do. She has no idea what they were talking about, and in front of her, Elaine seemed confused as well, her head rapidly turning right and left as she looked at the other two Fairies. Harlequin didn't seem to notice their confusion, or he simply didn't mind. He looked at Gerheade with inexpressive eyes for a long moment, then his mouth twitched. "You really know what happened, then. You always did." His fists clenched, tight enough for his knuckles to whiten. "How could you? You _lied _to me!" He wasn't yelling, yet his voice quavered, impregnated with anger and bitterness.

Gerheade backed off abruptly, as someone had punched her in the gut. "I've never -" she started with a strangled voice, but King didn't let her finish.

"You killed them all," he stated, coldly, and the tips of his wings trembled, so stiffly that Diane realised he was struggling to hold back. "You slaughtered them and then burned their home. _How _could you?"

"What?" Diane's stomach clenched painfully as she covered her mouth with her hand. She wanted to ask more, to get answers, but her mind felt dizzy and slow and the words couldn't leave her mouth. It was happening too fast, she thought with anguish, and she didn't seem able to keep up.

"What are you saying?" Elaine's feeble voice broke the silence that had fallen after King's last words, "Harlequin, what do you mean?" She sounded as dismayed as Diane was, and her hands, though firmly closed on the cloth of her skirt, twitched.

Harlequin blinked and turned to look at his sister, his yellowish eyes still burning in fury. "Do you remember those stories she used to tell us, the ones about the other Fairies?" He asked, his body so stiff that it seemed about to snap.

Diane furrowed her brows and glanced at Ban; she found him still on the ground, his head tilted up and his legs slightly bent. He was, she realised, ready to fight if it had been necessary, Ready to fight Harlequin. The thought made her nauseous. But for now, King didn't seem willing to attack them. She had to think that they wouldn't have gotten to that. Ban finally met her eyes and rapidly shook his head, frowning. He had no idea what the others were talking about as well. Elaine apparently knew what her brother meant, though. "The Fairies who lived under the ground," she answered slowly, then she paused, as she was trying to clearly remember something. "It was just an old story," she added, shaking slightly her head, "what does this have to do with - with whatever happened to you?" She gestured nervously at him.

Harlequin pressed his lips together and looked down at himself, and for a moment, seemed almost _hurt _by his sister's words. "Everything," he said, lifting his gaze again. "Gerheade lied to us, Elaine. There was no fight against those Fairies and there was nothing right in what was done to them. They were hunted down and slaughtered without even giving them the chance to defend themselves. They were just like us and they - _our Clan _killed them!"

"That's - that's not true!" Gerheade managed to say, her voice high pitched and broken. "There was a battle, and they lost. We had a reason to attack them, they … they _were _not like us."

"They were Fairies," Harlequin spoke quietly, "and they were trying to protect their people. Would you deny that you attacked them by surprise, that you surrounded them so that they couldn't have a way out, that even after they were obviously defeated, you kept chasing them so that no one would have survived?" His voice had raised as he spoke, and the last few words came out like a snarl.

"I …" Gerheade seemed pulled back, breathing heavily. "How do you even know about this?"

"I saw it." Was the shallow answer. "The Dark Tree showed me everything you did." In the blink of an eye, Harlequin was right in front of his advisor, looking down at her with his head tilted. Diane didn't even see him move.

"Harlequin!" She called for him, taking a step towards the two Fairies, then hesitated. Harlequin wouldn't have hurt Gerheade, would he?

No matter how angry he could be, he cared about her. Yet Diane felt magic flew through her veins and her palm itched, ready to summon her power over the earth. Elaine turned abruptly to follow her brother's movements, and finally, Diane could see her tensed features and clenched jaw. When a gust of cold wind brushed against her hand, Diane knew that the Fairy princess was ready to use her magic as well. Harlequin didn't even look at them, his gaze fixed on Gerheade, who was staring back with large, terrified eyes. "I know what you think." His voice was calm and controlled now, yet it gave Diane chills down her spine. "Your heart is troubled, and I get it. You don't understand how this could happen, you don't understand what it means. You are scared of … me," he paused, sounding almost bitter, "of what has been of me and of what I could do now. But you don't have to worry, Gerheade. I am _fine _. Better than how I felt in weeks, actually." He moved back, his eyes wandering over the Forest for a moment, "And I have no intention to seek for revenge against you or any other Fairy. I still am the Fairy King, after all. No," he shook his head slightly before looking at Gerheade again, "What I want, is justice."

"Justice for _what _?" Ban's shot from the ground. When King looked at him, eyes widening in surprise, Ban gestured in the air with irritation. "Can someone explain to us what the hell are you talking about?"

Harlequin pressed his lips in a line and nodded. "That's fair." He glanced up at Diane, "I'm sorry," he said softly, "you deserve an explanation. I … I didn't mean to scare you, Diane. I didn't mean to scare any of you," he added, nodding at his sister.

"Harlequin ... " Diane heaved a sigh; suddenly, she felt tired, even more tired than she had felt before. Tired of feeling scared, of not knowing what was happening to the man she loved. Yet when she spoked, the first words that left her mouth were, "I'm sorry too, for what I told you. I didn't mean anything of what I said." She needed him to know it before he explained. She still was unsure of how this conversation would have ended, but if they had argued again, she didn't want to leave it unsaid. "I know you wouldn't hurt me like that."

Harlequin lifted his hands as to stop her, shaking his head, "Diane, there is no need to -"

"There is," she continued as she took another step towards him. She could feel the Fairy in her hand shake, and she closed a little bit more her fingers around him; he probably didn't want to get closer to Harlequin, but there was no danger, there couldn't be. She had to believe he wouldn't have attacked them. "I'm sorry, I would have never wanted to hurt you, but Harlequin, I was worried. I still am. You disappeared just like that and I didn't know where you were, if you were safe, if you were hurt." She sniffed, but she couldn't allow herself to break, not yet. "Don't you dare to do anything like that again!"

"I'm so sorry, Diane, I've never meant to scare you!" Harlequin moved his hand rapidly in the air, his wings fluttered behind him. "I didn't know I would have stayed away so long, it just ... happened."

" What happened, brother?" Elaine asked, and this time her voice was firm, though her hands were still clenched.

Diane watched as King's eyes moved from her to his sister, then rapidly to Gerheade, who was staring at him from behind Elaine, her arms wrapped around her torso, and finally to Ban. A sigh shook his body, then finally he started speaking. "We Fairies don't talk much about it. I don't think I have heard this story from anyone else but her," he barely glanced at Gerheade, who stiffened but didn't say anything. Diane hesitated as she looked at her, wondering if she should have reached for her and checked how she was feeling. But then King's eyes were on her again, and she could do nothing but stare back at those bright, strange irises as he continued to speak. "Long ago, even before the Demons and the Goddesses started to fight over Britannia, there were two Fairy Clans. Technically, they were the same race, but what made them different was their origin. One of the Clans was fathered and subjugated to the Sacred Tree. This Clan." He gestured in the air as to indicate the whole Forest wound him, "The Clan that survived. The other Clan, that was born from the will of the Dark Tree, didn't have the same fortune."

"Two Fairy Clans?" Ban repeated, his voice slow and sceptical.

"Why have I never heard of it?" Diane bit her lip, her eyebrows knitting. "Not even when we trained in the past!"

"As I said, it was a long time ago," King replied, bitterly, "and the Fairies who were left made sure the whole story was forgotten. What was the purpose of remembering such terrible times?"

"What happened?" Diane felt a lump in her throat, yet the words easily slipped through her lips. Deep down, she thought she knew the answer, but she needed him to say it out loud.

"We Fairy," Harlequin said, "tend to be lazy. As long as we are safe in our beautiful forest, as soon as we can ignore whatever is happening outside, we are happy. Back then, the Clans could roam free in Britannia, doing whatever they wanted, but the Sacred Tree and its Fairies didn't care. They were safe, in their little bubble in the Fairy Realm and in their Forest, hidden from everyone's eyes." He spoke coldly, almost detached, as he wasn't talking about his own Clan. The corners of his mouth turned down as he frowned, "Really, they were just the same as now." Diane breathed in, ready to protest - because at least, _he _did care, and he had been able to make the Fairies care as well. She has seen it. But Harlequin had closed his eyes and sighed, and before she could say anything, he was talking again. "The other Fairies were different, though. They did care of what happened in Britannia and fought their way to find a place in this world. But few were strong enough to stand against Demons, Goddesses ... even Humans and Giants." He glanced at Diane, so briefly that she could barely meet his gaze before his eyes shifted on Elaine. Biting her lip, she waited for him to continue, but the clench in her stomach tightened.

"This is not," Elaine murmured, "what the story says. The others were dangerous." She turned towards Gerheade, her voice a bit more hesitant, "They were crazy and uncontrollable, weren't they?"

Gerheade nodded stiffly, "They -"

"They were free." Harlequin interrupted her vehemently, "and they were brave. They faced any opponent without hesitation, no matter how much bigger, or stronger they were. They would rather die than hide." His face was turned towards Gerheade and Elaine, but his eyes were unfocused, and Diane wondered what he was seeing. It didn't last long, as he blinked, his expression again stern and cold. "The other Clans didn't like them, of course. They didn't like the fact that they did not bow, that they did not flee from them. And the Sacred Tree and its Clan, they didn't like them either. They were too ambitious, too different, too dangerous, and they were making the other Clans wary towards the Fairies. So, they decided to attack them. To show that not all the Fairies were like that, to finally gain complete control over the Fairy Realm - since the others could access it too." He clenched his jaw. "And so, the Sacred Tree and its Fairies wiped them all out."

"You are wrong!" Gerheade's voice was broken as splintering wood, but this time she didn't back up nor look down when King's attention moved on her. She straightened her spine, her hands clenched, and looked back with her one eye wide and determined. "What happened had to be done. I don't know what you have been told or shown, my king, but those Fairies were not as you think they were. They were bloodthirsty and cruel and they had to be stopped. That's why we fought them, that's why -"

"That's why you killed every single one of them?" Harlequin growled, his arm cutting through the air with a sharp movement as he wanted to stop her. "I saw what happened, Gerheade! Nothing can justify something like that. It was _carnage _." He paused and grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes. "You say they were the ones to be bloodthirsty, but the ones I saw standing above their corpses were anything but the Fairies born from your precious Sacred Tree."

Diane pressed her hand against her mouth, her wide eyes following King's every movement. As she noticed the way his eyes shimmered in the dim light of the Forest, she realised that he wasn't only bitter, he was heartbroken. Whatever he had seen, it had hurt him deeply. She still didn't know what to think about his story - it was too sudden, too unexpected. It didn't matter that she saw them fighting in the war, it was hard to picture the Fairies as she knew them killing their similars. Gerheade wasn't denying it, though, and Elaine, even though she seemed shocked by her brother's words, seemed to know what they were talking about. Diane breathed in, trying to calm the fast pounding of her heart. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was what had happened to her husband to change him so drastically. "I'm so sorry, Harlequin," she murmured, and this made him turn towards her, his irises still shining with the intensity of his anger. "But what does this have to do with you? You said it happened a long time ago."

"Because that's what I am now, Diane," he said quietly and hesitated, glancing at her with something like worry before continuing. "My appearance changed because I'm not the Sacred Tree's anymore. I bound myself to the Dark Tree. I've become exactly like those other Fairies were."

"You did what?" Diane whispered, breathless, but her words got lost in the under Ban's "What?!" and Elaine's yelp of horror. This time, Gerheade was silent, but the colour had been completely drained from her face; she was forcefully pressing her hands on her mouth, as to stop herself from puking.

"Didn't you say that thing was destroyed?" Ban asked nervously; he sounded surprised and still cautious as if he couldn't quite understand what this meant for King.

"They surely tried to," Harlequin snorted, "but no, it still lives, and I'll make sure things will stay that way. I -"

"What did you do?!" Elaine screamed, and the wind around her twirled, lifting her hair in a blonde halo. "You can't break your bound with the Sacred Tree, Harlequin! We were born from It, It's our father and protector, I can't even think of ..." She halted and swallowed loudly, unable to finish her sentence. "And you are the Fairy King! How could you?"

"I know exactly what I am, sister." His answer was sharp, his eyes cold. It was weird to see him looking at Elaine like that, it made Diane's heart jump in her throat. "And I didn't choose anything, the Dark Tree _chose _me because It knows I have the power to make things right."

"And how would you do that?" Ban shouted, eyes narrow.

"Firstly, I will make sure to keep my Clan safe from now," Harlequin answered. He let his eyes wander over all of them, even over the tiny Fairy Diane still kept in her hand. "No Fairy will be hurt ever again. Not like it happened to Aed," he clenched his jaw at the memory, then hesitated, before adding, "not like it could have happened to me. That's why I made a decision." He looked up, meeting Diane's wide eyes, and breathed in sharply. "I'm sorry Diane, but the Giants must leave the Forest. I can't keep them there, not after what happened with Gonf. It's too dangerous."

Cold fell upon her. She almost thought she had lost control of her power because that would have explained why she felt like the ground under her was crumbling - but no, she didn't. The ground was firm under her feet. It was just her. "What?" She mouthed, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Oh - of course, you will stay," he hurried to explain, wings flapping rapidly. For a moment he seemed about to fly towards her, but eventually, he didn't. Diane would have never imagined she would have felt grateful for it. "You are my wife," he said gently, "I trust you with all my soul. And you can still be their queen, I don't mind. You can keep them in the surroundings and check on them whenever you want, I just demand that they stay at a safe distance from the Fairy King's Forest."

"But ..." Diane stopped and shook her head, breathless. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't be really implying _that _.

"It'll be the same for Humans. They will not be welcomed here, and we will not try to keep in contact with them anymore. I'm done trusting them," he continued, before glancing down, "Don't worry about this Ban, you can visit. You are a friend, and honestly, I don't see you like a Human anymore."

"This is insane, King," was all the other man could mutter, his eyes wide.

"It is!" Elaine's entire body was trembling now. "How can you even consider something like that? You know Humans now, you know they can be trusted! What about our friends, the Holy Knights, the -"

"I am doing it for the Clan! Can't you see it?" Harlequin crossed his arms across his chest. "I can't let them down again, Elaine, and this is the safest way. You, of all people, should know how it feels, to fail to protect what you have to." Elaine froze in midair and stared at her brother, shaking slightly her head as she was trying to find the words.

"You _can't _." Only when Harlequin turned towards her, surprised, Diane realised that she had said it out loud. Her shoulders shook slightly, but when she spoke again her voice was clear, low and rumbling like thunder. "You can't simply leave me like that and then reappear out of nowhere and tell me that you want to undo everything we have been working on, all the dreams we have achieved. Not after something horrible obviously happened to you! I'm not going to accept it! This is not you, Harlequin!" She was yelling at the end and could feel tears soaking her eyelashes and lids. She didn't even care. She opened her mouth again but felt like she couldn't breathe. There was so much she wanted to say.

Harlequin bit his lip, and for a moment he seemed uncertain, but finally, he sighed and nodded, looking at her with sympathetic eyes. "Diane, I am sorry, I really am, but it didn't work. You saw it with your own eyes! Humans can't be trusted, and you can't control all the Giants. If there was another option I ... but there isn't, and I can't -"

"You are right, it's not him."

Harlequin frowned and turned to glare at Gerheade, "Of course it's me. What do you mean?"

Gerheade faced him with a serious expression. She was still pale and fear was clear in her eyes, but her hands were clenched and her spine straight. "It's the Dark Tree. That's what it did to its Fairies, what it's doing to you." She pressed her lips in a line. "It fills your heart with hate and anger, it clouds your judgment and pushes you to destroy everything that stands on your way. Don't you understand? That Cursed Tree hates everything that it's not its own creatures. It wants to annihilate everything else."

Diane blinked and swallowed back her tears; it was foolish, she knew it, yet she felt something like relief filling her chest. It wasn't him. She knew it wasn't Harlequin, she had known since the start, but now she knew it was the truth. Her Harlequin would have never acted like that. He was better than this.

"It's not like that!" He growled, "I know exactly what I'm doing. That's not what I want, but it's what I need to do."

"And who told you that?" Gerheade asked, and bodily moved a little bit closer to him.

"No one! I -" Harlequin frowned, his voice getting slower, "I knew that I had to do something even before the Tree showed me the truth. I knew it."

"But are you sure this was your idea?" When Harlequin didn't answer, Gerheade swallowed and flew closer, until she was right in front of him and could take his hands in hers. "It's not too late, my king," she said, her voice a little gentler. "We can still restore your bond with the Sacred Tree, I - I think it's what It wants, and -"

His reaction was immediate. "I am not going near to that thing!" Harlequin shot, pulling away from her. "If not to destroy It."

"What?" Elaine gasped and the air went still around her.

"No," Diane muttered, "this makes no sense." The Sacred Tree was important to him, it was important to his whole Clan. What would have happened to him, to all the Fairies, if he had tried to destroy it? He couldn't do that. He wouldn't have done that, would have he? Harlequin wouldn't ...

Gerheade trembled, but she didn't let the shock silence her. "Can't you see it?" She shrieked, "That's the Dark Tree talking! I know you, Harlequin, I know you would never do something like that to our Tree, you -"

"Before I didn't know what happened! How can you still defend It, after everything that happened?" Harlequin looked around furiously, "Why am I the only one who gets it? The Tree, the Fairies who killed their own similar - they are murderers!" He turned towards his sister, "Don't you understand?"

Elaine was still shaken, but she didn't let the fire in his eyes intimidate her. "Brother, this is insane! I won't let you destroy the Sacred Tree and everything you have done for our Clan." She inhaled sharply, clenching her fists, "I don't want to fight you, but I will not let this happen."

"I won't either," Ban said, shaking his head, "Come on King, you are not a complete idiot, you can see how wrong this is. You just said you were bound to something called the _Dark Tree _! How can this be right?"

Harlequin glared at him, his mouth so clenched that his lips were white. "Stay out of this, Ban," he shouted, "you have nothing to do with it!" Diane missed the other Sin's reply, as King's eyes had finally moved on her. Anger left them, and for a moment, they looked almost pleading. "Diane, you have to understand, I - please, I just want to keep my people safe. You know what it means for me."

The worst was that she did. Diane knew perfectly how much he wanted to be a good king for his Clan, how much he wanted to protect them all. And maybe, if the circumstances had been different, she would have let him explain himself. Maybe, they would have found a solution, together. But his sharp pupils and the dishevelled locks of dark hair covering his front were a constant reminder that this wasn't right. The man in front of her wasn't her husband, not completely. And she had to find a way to bring him back. "I'm sorry Harlequin," she finally said, quietly, "but this isn't you. You wouldn't want this, and I know that if I let you do it, you will regret it." She swallowed, forcing herself to continue. "You need to let us help you. We have to find a way to - to heal you. To make things right. Please, Harlequin, I just want you to be good." Her voice died down, as she looked back into his large, hurt eyes.

His lips trembled, his wings beat quickly, once, twice, and then another time before he managed to regain control over his body. Diane pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to reassure him. This had to be done. She couldn't let this continue. Then, suddenly, his face changed, and he stared at her with a cold expression she had rarely seen on him. His lips twitched, but his voice was firm when he spoke, "That's how it is, then. You don't want to trust me, you don't want to understand me. You don't even want to try."

"That's not true!" She shook her head, taking a small, hesitant step towards him. "I want to trust you, Harlequin, more than anything, but you just came back from who knows where, looking completely different, and told me to kick out my own Clan from our home! I simply can't -"

"You promised, Diane," he interrupted her. "When we married, do you remember? You promised that you would have always been by my side, that you would have supported me." He closed his eyes for a moment, little tears shining on his lashes, and grit his teeth, "And I believed you. I thought I could trust you."

It would have hurt less if he had slapped her. Diane moved back, feeling as she was out of breath. "Harlequin, I ..."

She couldn't continue, as he looked away to gaze at the others, "I was a fool to come here thinking that you would have at least tried to see my point. You were all so ready to turn your backs on me."

"Brother, this is unfair," Elaine said, hesitantly flying towards him, "you can't ask us to accept all of this without fighting!"

"No, I understand. He was right." His voice was so calm now that it gave Diane chills. Before she could ask who was "he", Harlequin spread his wings and looked around. His eyes met hers only for a moment, then he said, his voice low and definitive, "Then there is nothing left to say."

Diane knew he was about to take flight even before he sprinted. She wanted to stop him, she _needed _to, but her body felt frozen, stiff as wood when she finally raised her hand, trying to reach for him. He was already gone, headed towards the sky. For a moment, she thought he would have disappeared just like that, without even looking back.

"You are n ot leaving like this, King!"

She turned abruptly, just in time to see Ban jumping on a bough near to her head. He jumped again, so fast that her eyes could barely follow him, and landed on another branch, this time higher, with his arm outstretched upwards. His fingers contracted slightly and in the air, King stopped. _He is using Snatch _, Diane thought with relief. Harlequin wasn't going away. He was still too high for her to reach, but Ban's power was slowly dragging him down.

"Ban, _let me go _!" He yelled, his wings fluttering furiously as he tried to fight the magic that was pulling him back.

"I won't until you stop this nonsense!" Ban growled through his teeth, his hand closing a little more, controlling his magic.

"Harlequin!" Diane called from the ground, walking until she was under him, "Please, stop! You have to listen to us, you can't -"

"I said," Harlequin shouted as he turned around, his hand tracing a curved line in the air, "let me go!"

Diane didn't feel anything, yet with the corner of her eye, she could see Ban's body being thrown away. Holding her breath, she looked back just to see him violently hit the ground. Red spurts of blood stained the earth around him and somewhere, Elaine screamed. When she glanced at King again, he was there, floating still where she had last seen him, his eyes wide and mouth half-open. When their gazes met, Diane could read surprise and worry and guilt in it, and for a moment, she thought he would have stayed. The moment later, he had turned his back on her, and then he was gone, no more than a distant figure in the sky.

_No _. She felt like her mind had gone blank. Nothing mattered anymore, except for the fact that she couldn't let him disappear again. Without even looking, she put the Fairy who still sat on her palm on a branch, then she started running. Behind her, she could hear Ban's and Elaine's agitated voices and Gerheade calling her name, but she didn't turn back. She ran as fast as she could, barely looking at her feet and ignoring the fronds that cut her skin and snagged on her clothes as to hold her back. A root made her stumble and she almost fell on the ground, but she clenched her mouth and kept running. She couldn't see Harlequin anymore, but she could feel his magic, somewhere in the distance right in front of her. He was so fast in the air, more than she was on the ground, caught in the rich vegetation of the Forest like a bird among thorns. Yet, Diane didn't stop. She stumbled through the trees, her hands on the trunks to support herself, barely looking at the Fairies that watched her pass with surprise and curiosity. She couldn't let King go, not again, not after what happened the night before, not after what she saw. She couldn't possibly lose him again.

Suddenly, his power disappeared, like a flame that suddenly extinguishes. Her heart lost a beat and she slowed down, squeezing her eyes as she tried to find him again, but he wasn't there anymore. He was gone. She couldn't hold back a scream of frustration, but even now that she had nothing to lead her, she kept following her path. Harlequin had been _there _, somewhere in the South of the Forest. There was no way he had suddenly gone so distant that she couldn't feel him anymore. He had to be there.

_He had to _.


End file.
